May 13 - 3 Day Wonder with free color pics - COMPLETE

[lborne]

Pre-TR

I loved reading all the trip reports in the months before our cruise so I will attempt to give back a bit by writing this TR, in which I will include several tips I either learned while on the ship or quickly made up if I can’t remember any.

Conspirators:

Me (41), D(D does not always mean Darling)W (41), DS11 and DS7.
Friends DH(42), DW (42), DS11, DD6.


This is our 4th Disney Cruise. We are only 1 hr south of Port Canaveral and got a great deal via the Florida Resident Rate, so the 3 night cruise, although short, was fairly inexpensive. When we told some friends of our plans, they booked the next day. I usually like going on cruises to meet new people, but it is also fun dining with our friends. Especially after the one cruise where we got stuck with a couple where the husband’s job was a prophet. He even had business cards made up and told everyone their future. I guess even messengers of God need a vacation every now and then.

To fill the months between when we book the cruise until when we actually get on board, I like to spend lots of time on the DIS doing research and asking inane questions that really don’t matter much, like "what does the drink of the day cost?" Really, I just do about anything to 1) think about the cruise and 2) make the time pass quickly until the date of departure is here.

So the night before our departure, we, (meaning DW), start to pack. She is the queen of procrastination, but also likes to pack twice as much as she really needs. She loves cruising from a port that we can drive to because it means she does not have to stay under the 50 lb airline weigh limit. I do tip the porters well because I know chiropractors are not cheap.

My main job is to plan the days activities - sort of. We like to have some sort of game plan for each day and that is where the old Navigators come in handy. However, we (again, meaning DW), like to remain flexible and change all my plans at a moments notice. The big decision on this cruise is to stay on board the Wonder while at Nassau. Every cruise before we’ve gotten off at Nassau. This time I think I’ve finally convinced DW that we can stay on the ship and be accosted by staff members selling "drinks of the day" instead of being accosted by locals wanting to braid our hair. However, she has mentioned maybe we could just pop over to a beach for a couple of hours. I’ve ignored this thinking that the idea may go away. I mean – here we live within a mile of the beach and hardly ever go.

TIP #1 – print out the old navigators. They make great bathroom reading material and you’ll get familiar with all that goes on. But, its kind of like riding a bike (or loving a woman), no matter how many guides you buy, or planning DVDs you watch, or threads you read on the DIS, you can never completley understand everything until you have taken it for a ride (the bike). So now on our 4th Disney cruise, we finally feel like we have a handle on how everything works.

UP NEXT - Day 1 and some free color photos.

[Señor DonDuck]

You hooked me. Joining in and can't wait for day 1.

[verygfy]

Can't wait to read!!

[Redeemed&Loved]

Bring it on!

[lborne]

As promised, in this installment of the TR, you'll get expert cruise tips and free color photos (at least 2 in every package). Lets start right off with a tip so I don't have to think about them any more.

TIP #2: This TR is best paired with a couple glasses of Merlot.

Thursday morning is finally here and the kids are wired. Despite having slept very little during the night because they are so excited, they are going bonkers. Luckily for us, my DW is sending them to school this morning. Talk about torture for the kids (not to mention their teachers), but DS11 did have a test he could not miss and we only live 1 hr from port. I stay at home and try to keep busy cleaning the house and finishing packing. Around 11:30 my DW and kids are back, we load up the luggage, and are off. Well, not quite - you people with kids know what happens next – someone has to go to the bathroom – but they did not have to wait long because I’m quick. :)

We are at the port by 12:45 after driving an hour with the hyper kids, and have to wait in line to pull up to the luggage drop off area. It does not feel like Disney unless you have to wait in a line. Drop off the wife, kids and luggage and finally get my first moment of peace and quiet to relax while I drive the 200 feet to park.

TIP #3: If you are going to drive to the port, I recommend getting there around 12:30 – 1:00 to avoid long lines. You miss the “nut cases” who want to be the first on the ship and you miss all the Disney busses coming from Orlando. Unless you've just been at the park and really need that "cattle" feeling.

By the time I’d walked back, my DW and kids were already upstairs in line for check in. The line for Castaway Club members was short and we quickly got checked in. Somehow I was given a KTTW card with someone else’s name. That was fixed and we met up with our friends and got in line to register the kids and get our pager. So far, everything has been quick and smooth. We could already have been on board, but we took our time and just chatted with our friends. Finally, I coax them to go aboard. As we stepped into the atrium, they announced our family name and we felt like movie stars (autographs at 3 on the lido deck).

The infamous model of the ship at the Disney terminal. The real ship does not have half its side torn away, so don't worry, you won't sink - probably.

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DS11 about to pass thru the big ears. Look at that line - NOT. (see tip #3)

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We had reservations at Palo for 8:30, but we really wanted 7:30, so I immediately went to Wavebands to change our reservation. There was no wait and they were able to give me a 7:30 dinner time. We wanted the earlier time because we were scheduled at Palo for the last night, and knowing how long Palo meals can take, I knew we’d never get the suitcases out in the hallway by 11:00.


After that, it was 1:30 and I knew our room would be available and that is where I found DW and kids getting ready for the pool. We had room 2120 which is in the general area of the last 2 cruises we’d been on. It was close to the aft elevators, and many people worry about noise from the elevator lobby, but we never heard anyone there.


Mickey Ears not only notify others that you are a Disney freak and fellow DISr, but that you have no life too.

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On our last cruise (HAL, not Disney), we had two rooms. One for the kids and one for us which were right next to each other. But the rooms on HAL are smaller and a lot cheaper. We would like to have booked a separate room for the kids – a room for them on the Wonder and a room for DW and I on the Magic would be ideal. But we were all stuck in one room. Seriously, it was fine. The nice thing about this room as opposed to some we’ve had on other cruises is that the main bed is in the middle and the kids are at the back, with a curtain divider. This way if we come back to the room later, or need to use the restroom in the middle of the night, I don’t have to go through the kids sleeping area. I asked the stateroom host (Johnny) for wine glasses and he said it had to come from room service. So I called room service and asked for wine glasses and they said that it would take about 30 minutes.


Darn, here it is almost 2:00 and I’ve yet to have a drink of the day. Instead I’m trying to apply sunscreen to two boys who are bobbing up and down because I’m in the way of the TV. They watch less than 1 hr of TV a week at our house, so they could stay in the cabin all day and night watching the Disney channel.


Finally, we are up on deck 9, hanging out by the Mickey pool while the kids go down the slide a jazzilion times. We get ourselves lunch at Goofy’s Gallery (panninis and wraps) and Pluto’s Dog House for the chicken tenders and fries. Before we can even sit down, we are hit up by a staff member for the DOTD. We are told that if we get it in this Official Disney Cruise Line DOTD Plastic Glass, then we can get more DOTD for only $3.95 and what a great deal it is because you get more in the Official Disney Cruise Line DOTD Plastic Glass. Yes, I realize “plastic glass” really makes no sense, but I don’t know what else to call it. Its not a cup and its not a mug, but it looks like glass. Have some more Merlot and it will become clear. Anyway, the suckers that we are, bought one. Only one because DW is cheap and says we can share. The DOTD is good (anything more than 10 proof would be right now), but there are two big negatives to getting your DOTD in the ODCLDOTDPG. First, you’ve got to remember not to leave it anywhere and must keep it with you at all times lest you have a sudden urge for the DOTD and are without your money saving cup – I mean glass. However, walking around with your empty glass is like walking around Nassau with 100 dollar bills in your hand asking “Does anyone have anything to sell?” You’ll be accosted several times a minute by cheerful Disney staff wanting to refill your plastic glass for only $3.95 plus 15% gratuity, plus any additional amount you wish to give for their tenacity. Thing is, even without your empty glass, you’ll still be hit up to buy the DOTD if you are anywhere near the pool. The only real way to keep them at bay is to buy a DOTD and then not drink it, leaving your cup full all the time. But that’s no fun.

DS7 spent no time before we found him chillin with his new girlfriend in the hot tub.

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So now its around 3:00 and the Mickey pool is being closed because some kid had an accident. Obviously it was not #1 because the crew would not be able to tell, and if they could then the pools would never be open (including the adult pool). Once the pool closes, it can’t reopen for a minimum of 3 hours. So all the kids head over to the Goofy Pool, which was already pretty crowded. And all the good parents head over there too.

DW goes to the spa to book a massage for Friday and when she comes back I go to Guest Relations to book the beer tasting for my friend and I, also for Friday. DW spent a little bit more than I did. :) She booked some sort of special for $109 where she got 20 minutes of back & neck massage, 20 minutes of exfoliation, and 20 minutes of who the hell knows what else. She also bought the Rainforest day pass for both of us, for $15 each.



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DS7 in the Goofy hot tub now that the others were closed. Wait a minute - that's not the same girl.

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(OMG this TR is going to be a lot longer than I planned. You people are getting a TR designed for a 7 night cruise at the price of only a 3 night cruise.)

Dang, 3:30 and everything is shutting down. Can’t even get another snack or drink. So the next 30 minutes is spent watching the kids in the pool, nursing the last little bit of DOTD, and walking around on deck taking photos of what my DW terms “everything and everyone but our ***** family”. Why don’t you go and unpack the suitcases honey.

Anyway, its now 3:50 and we drag the kids down to the room to get ready for the lifeboat drill. We put on the life vests and leave the room not having any idea where we are supposed to go. We just follow the herd. Luckily, we are still docked because if this had been a real emergency, we would be found in the Bleach Blanket Buffet line waiting to be served instead of the lifeboat boarding line. Last time we cruised, our mustering station (Dijon) was in one of the dining rooms. This time we were right under the lifeboats. I’m still not sure which I would prefer in an emergency. Being first on the lifeboats, or getting one last meal in before the ship sank.

So we are all standing in rows with orange life jackets on and all the kids are blowing into the whistles. What’s funny is you can’t walk 5 feet without someone handing you a sanitizing wipe, but all these germ infested kids (yes, they are ALL germ infested no matter how much soap you use), are putting this plastic in their mouths that every other kid on every other cruise has slobbered on.

So after that fun filled activity, its back up on deck to do what we love doing on cruises – drink and eat. The kids are back in the water (Mickey pool is still closed), and we watch the sail away party. The weather is perfect. A little after 5 the ship starts to move away from the dock and soon we are going down the channel pretty quickly. About halfway down they sound the “when you wish upon a star” horns. I get goose bumps whenever I hear it. Once, DW and I were at Sandals in Nassau laying out by the pool and in the distance we heard that sound as the ship was either coming into or leaving port, and as amazing as being at Sandals without the kids was, it made me wish I were on the Disney cruise (still, without the kids).


We are the kind of people who like to be up on deck 10 looking down on the party instead of being trampled to death.

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Now that land was quickly trailing away, it was time to get ready for the show. We all headed back down to the room and I noticed there were no wine glasses. So I called again, and they apologized. I told them I really had wanted them before 6:00. They arrived about 10 minutes later. Two wine glasses, stems crossed over a serving platter. It was a wonderful presentation. I opened a bottle of wine that we had brought on board (14 Hands), poured two glasses and we left for the show – The Golden Mickeys. Our friends were already seated and we joined them. The show is fantastic, as are all of Disney shows. No other cruise line comes close, IMO.


[EDIT] After the show, we fed our kids. It was 7:15 - 7:30 and only the Pinocchios Pizza and Plutos Dog House were open. It was fine because they had food that the kids liked, but it would have been nice to have at least one line of BBB open. [END EDIT]

Then we and our friends checked the kids into the kids club.

The older sons (11 years old) were allowed to check themselves in and out with the stipulation that if they leave, they have to be together and page us. The 4 adults (me included) then headed to the Cadillac lounge to listen to music and talk.

About 10 after 8 we head back to our rooms and refill our wine glasses. Our friends also brought wine on board, except they are not classy and just used the regular water glasses provided in the room. I hope they don’t read this :).

Tonight we were at Tritons, as we had gotten the TAP rotation as we requested. (So far, no disappointments with anything). Our server was Boris and he had the table all set up for the kids already. It was super nice, but we were only having the kids dine with us tomorrow night as it was kind of late for them to be eating. I am so disappointed that I did not get photos of my food. Normally I always do, but with our friends as company, I completely forgot. For starters, I had the escargot and duck confit. The escargot was really good. Normally, when I get escargot they can be very small and too rubbery. These were large and so held more butter and garlic sauce (the real reason I eat escargot). The duck confit was also wonderful. I then had the tomato and basil soup (yummy) and the avocado and citrus salad. The salad was just OK - the citrus slices were canned and not fresh. (If I sound picky, you have not met my DW). For my main course I got the "Triton's" Seared Sea Bass with a Mushroom Herb Risotto, Sweet Onion Marmalade, and garnished with a Potato Crisp. I only ordered one main course because I knew I’d be getting some of DW’s Grilled Beef Tenderloin. They were both delicious. For dessert I got the Triton's Sweet Temptations - A Trio of Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Mousse and Praline Petite Choux and I also ordered the Grand Marnier Soufflé’. I don't remember what our friends got, but there were only empty plates after each course, so they must have liked it.


DW and I at Tritons.

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After Tritons, we headed to Match Your Mate, which is like the old dating game. This game highly depends on the personality of the players. They get the couple that have been together the longest, one that are relatively newly wed, and then a couple in-between. There was a really funny couple from Dallas that made the show. I think many of the questions are used every time over the years.

It was now 11 and we got the kids from the club and put them to sleep. Checking DS7 in and out of the clubs seemed much easier than I remembered from the past cruises. I think the arm band, although a little bulky, made the process much quicker. Having the split bathrooms is one of the best things about Disney staterooms. We could have both kids brushing teeth at the same time and NOT fighting with each other over who is hogging the sink. It saved time and our sanity, if only for 3 nights.


Room all ready when we came back to sleep.

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One part of the split bathroom.

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And the other. Notice you can see the DOTD in the official "plastic glass" in the reflection.

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Back when we used film cameras, DW used to be a lot more annoyed when I took these kinds of photos.

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Only products made in the USA are good enough to be flushed.

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DW also wanted to sleep but I was still awake so went back out. I wandered around on decks 10 and 9, then headed down to the Promenade lounge, then over to Wavebands, Diversions and the Cadillac Lounge. Other than about 15 people dancing to disco in Wavebands, I felt like I was on a ghost ship. By 12:00 I called it a night.

Here are some of those random shots I took and one last additional tip at no extra cost.


Tip #4 (or 5 - I'm too lazy to go back and check) Blue anchor is toward the Back of the ship. Red towards the Rear. No wait, that's wrong. Red towards the front. Yeah - that's it. Don't even ask about port and starboard.

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People (who are not my family) boarding.

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Not much going on at 11:50 at night. Waiting until midnight and watching the hot tub drain on these people was pretty much the only opportunity for entertainment at this hour.

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Come back tomorrow when I post another exciting adventure to my TR with the not so catchy title.

[Evad]

Keep it coming!! Really enjoying both the info and the humour!!

And who said D as in DW has to stand for darling anyway.........

[TwingleMum]

Love your report. According to my spouse the D stands for Diva

[SmallWorld71]

I'm in. You're report is both informative and entertaining.:thumbsup2

[Dyerneeds]

i'm in.:thumbsup2

looks like your 7 year old is a real "player".:cool2::laughing:

[lborne]

i'm in.:thumbsup2

looks like your 7 year old is a real "player".:cool2::laughing:

Yes, he has several girlfriends and he's only in 1st grade. We are going to have to keep a close eye on him.

[MDmouseland]

Great pictures!!

Keep it coming...

oH, where did you get the sticker for Ears to put on your cabin number ?

[lborne]

oH, where did you get the sticker for Ears to put on your cabin number ?

From a lady here on the DIS boards. I think there is an entire board dedicated to decorations, arts, crafts and stuff like that. Here is the link she puts in her sig. Click on the "porthole art" folder.

http://www.4shared.com/dir/18428241/4b39460d/sharing.html

[lborne]

If you all are going to waste time reading this at work, I'm going to have to get this out now and that means breaking it into 2 parts. So here is part 1.



I’m always up early and this morning I had originally planned to attend the group cycle class (spin class). I’d lost almost 20 lbs over the past 6 weeks. Despite going to the gym 4x a week, I was approaching 195 lbs. So the cruise was a good excuse to loose some weight and I dropped to 170. I knew I was going to add some pounds on during the cruise, but wanted to mitigate that by attending the gym at least once. However, DW had told me the night before that she had forgotten to pack my exercise outfit. I knew there was a reason I loved this woman. Yea – I get to go to the Cove Café, drink coffee and chill. So I quickly showered and headed out to get some real coffee. After a bit I went to BBB (the only time I ever went to BBB, whereas the last couple Disney cruises we practically ate there for every breakfast and lunch) and got the kids some breakfast and DW some OJ, and took it back to the room. They were all up and thankful for the food. We’d thought of ordering breakfast the night before to have it delivered to the room, but the selections were very limited.

Tip #? (In order to make my job easier and because I’m lazy, I’m no longer numbering the tips – you get what you pay for): If you go to BBB and want to take the food back to your room, you don’t have to fight back upstream through the crowd to get out. At the aft port side of the restaurant (which is also the aft port side of the ship) there is a “secret” staircase that will take you down to deck 8 where you can catch the elevators). Shhhh – don’t tell anyone else.

After delivering the food to the room, I went back up on deck to take some photos of us pulling into Nassau. Before I know it, its already 9 and Tritons is only open until 9:30 and I was getting hungry. I went back down to the room, gathered the kids, and checked them into the club and met DW at Tritons. She was promptly 10 minutes late as usual. Since our reservations were linked to our friend’s stateroom, when we entered Tritons and gave them our room # (they ask), they notified us that our friends were at a table that could accommodate us. So we sat with them and their children. It’s a wonderful, relaxing breakfast. Both DW and I ordered the Mornin' Tug Boat which is a fresh blend of strawberry, bananas, almonds, raisin granola and low-fat yogurt. We remembered this from the last cruise and it was every bit as good as we recalled. DW ordered the eggs benedict since we never have that at home and I ordered the King Triton's Shell - a large omelet on savory toast (I didn’t write that, I just cut and pasted from a menu I found on line – I really don’t like the word “savory”, do you?) filled with grilled tomato, bacon and baked beans topped with caramelized onions. It was really good. We really enjoy the relaxing sit down dinners and being served because normally we are the ones doing the serving – you guys with wives and children know what I’m talking about. I know you don’t get a great view while at Tritons, but its just too crowded at BBB and that line, while not long, moves slower than my escargot from the night before.

Atlantis and a sail boat that costs more than the entire budget of some 3rd world countries.

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So now let the pampering continue. It is off to the Spa where, as you recall, my DW purchased about 35 DOTDs worth of relaxation (32 of those for herself – and yes I actually calculated that nuber, just to put it in perspective for her – I’m helpful that way). On the way, we saw all the groups of people meeting for tours and other groups a people streaming from the ship. After being in New Providence Island at least 6 different occasions (mostly cruise stops but also at Sandals), I had had my fill and was really glad to be staying on the ship. But I was really happy all these other suckers, I mean tourists, were getting off the ship to make it less crowded for me.

When DW purchased the Rainforest day they gave her a sticker to place on our KTTW cards. So all I had to do was present my card, and then we were allowed in. In the changing rooms are lockers with robes. We were also offered slippers, but declined and went barefoot (just less paraphernalia to keep track of). We changed into our swimming suits and met back in the rainforest room. It was completely empty except for one man laying on the heated tile lounges. They look like they would be uncomfortable, but really are quite nice to lay on. But first, we went into the steam room which we had all to ourselves. We did not turn it into an exotic rasul moment as this was a Disney cruise after all and we could not figure out how to lock the door. After that we tried the sauna. I sweat out at least 2 DOTD in their official glasses, before I was ready to get out. We then went into the scented shower. The side jets sprayed super hot and the temp control did not seem to make any difference. Its just like those controls in Mission Space – they don’t do anything but make you feel in control. Must be a Disney thing; although come to think of it, my wife kind of works that way too. The cold spray comes from the top nozzles and is freezing. It smelled wonderful, but we could not stand the alternating burn / freeze sensation. Next we relaxed on the heated tile lounges that are in the main room. There are only 4 of them which I still think is too few despite the fact that only 1 was occupied (by aforementioned man). So we lounge on the verge of sleep, me mumbling to DW how this was so much better than fighting off taxi cab drivers, until about 5 till 11 when one of the ladies came in to inform my wife that they were ready for her 11:00 spa treatment. I stayed for about 10 more minutes fighting off sleep because I really did not want to spend my very short 3 night cruise sleeping. I was using my trip to Vegas for a friend’s bachelor party as a guide where 2-3 hours of sleep in a 24 hr period was plenty.

So I left the spa and headed back up on deck. The Carnival Sensation was just arriving into port. What? The Carnival ship left Port Canaveral BEFORE we did. Maybe that party crowd consumed all the alcohol in the first few hours and they had to make a beer run in Miami??? Oh My Gosh, its now 11:30. Nearly 2 hours since I had any food, so I got a fish sandwich and chicken tenders from Pluto’s Doghouse and some more wraps and panninis from Goofy’s Gallery. I did not try the hamburger from Pluto’s because I’ve had them before and found them to be just OK – the ones on CC are much better as I remember. By far the best thing there are the chicken tenders. And of course, I needed a DOTD. But wait! As you must have clearly realized I don’t have my Official Disney Cruise Line DOTD Plastic Glass. Well, I realized it too. Here my wife was at the Spa and would never know if I snuck a non discounted DOTD in. But guilt overwhelmed me and I darted down to the room to get my glass. At least that’s the official story just in case she ever reads this.


Carnival ship arriving late after beer run.
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The plan was that my DW was going to continue to enjoy the Rainforest room after her spa treatment was over at noon and meet me back up on deck at 1 ish. My job was to get the boys from the kids club at 12:30 and force them to eat and enjoy the pool. After finishing my DOTD, I headed down to deck 5 and picked up the boys. They looked pretty comatose in front of the computer screens. Despite having computers in their rooms at home, we don’t allow excessive game play, but as this was their vacation too, we let them do whatever they wanted in the kids clubs. So I drag them back to the room, have them change into their suits and apply sunscreen (mine and their favorite activity). If anyone ever walked in on me applying sunscreen on my kids they would immediately call Health and Family Services and accuse me of putting acid on my kids. Oh the drama.

Back up on deck 9 I learn that DS7 has already eaten with the kids club and DS11 is not quite hungry yet. So they both go into the pool. Right around this time, the Goofy Pool is closed due to another kid deciding to save their parents the trouble of drying them off and escorting them to the restroom. In fact, those of you with eagle eyes may have noticed the closed Goofy pool in the background of yesterday’s photo of DS7 in the hot tub. (I put the wrong photo in yesterday’s post). Actually, those of you with eagle eyes should be arrested because that is illegal and cruel.

But now the time is fast approaching 1:00 and I’ve yet to fulfill my parental duties of making sure both kids are fed. Which would not really be a problem if DW were not about to show up at any moment. We have very differing views on feeding children. She is the type, as I’ve learned are most moms, especially Italian ones, where a child can never have enough food even if they are as wide as they are tall. And I’m the type that says you should never offer food to kids but instead wait at least several days after they ask for something just to be sure they really will eat it without complaining. Anyway, DS11 is old enough that he does not need help getting food and so all I have to do is remind him that he has to at least have food on a plate by 1:00.

Right around that time, DW comes back from her spa retreat. She gets a plate of food and I get one more order of chicken and a couple slices of pizza (BBQ and Hawaiian are my favorites). Its nearing 2:00 which is when I have a date with several lovely beers. But then I notice a lady eating a plate of crab claws. I have just enough time to get a bowl and scarf them down before getting to the beer tasting. I get in the fairly short line for BBB trying to avoid looking directly in the eyes of the CM handing out the germ killing wet naps. No matter, one is forced upon me. Hmmmm, 5 minutes and the line has not moved a bit. Some people just can’t decide when given so many choices. They want to see all their options first, so they stand there craning their necks to see what lies ahead, or sending out a member of the family on a reconnaissance mission while they just stand there blocking the rest of us. These “problem buffet line people” should be tagged in a central database sort of like the no fly list and then directed to a special line just for them, preferably on a NCL ship.

I decide to dart over to the other side of BBB in hopes that the lines there are shorter. Sure enough, one entire side of the buffet is completely empty, while the other side is full of completely non moving “problem buffet line people”. I rejoice and congratulate myself on not simply following the heard. My obvious mental superiority has allowed me to bypass the Neanderthals waiting hopelessly in line. Ummmm – where are the crab claws? I can see them in the Neanderthal line, but not my wonderful, void of any people line? That’s when the friendly Disney CM informs me that I’m in the pizza line and there are no crab claws in this line. UGHHHH. Pride tastes terrible. Luckily I get to chase it with beer. But seriously now, what happens next is where Disney surpasses many other cruise lines in service. After I explain to the CM that I only wanted crab claws, he takes my bowl and fills it for me, complete with a shell cracker. I sulk out of there as I’m sure everyone is thinking I’m getting preferential treatment and will mark me as an enemy combatant. Ok, they are not the best crab claws I’ve had, but still good enough that I eat every one.

My friend and I rush down to Diversions for the beer tasting. There are only 8 of us and as we are seated, we are served 5 different beers each, plus one mystery beer on the side. I am seated across from two Gators fans. I can spot a Gator fan a mile away by the lack of class and poor posture - and the fact that they had these tacky t-shirts on that said “Gators”. This was not a good combination as we were about to drink large quantities of beer and as any college football fan can tell you, beer and fans of opposing teams do not mix. But joking aside, they were a really nice couple despite their poor taste in football teams. And I really felt sorry for the wife because just as the host started his presentation on the first beer we were about to sample, her pager went off. She left and never returned. Hopefully her child was OK, but we never found out. The host, whose name has slipped my mind because if you did not already get this – we were drinking large quantities of ale – was fantastic. He gave us lots of information that I found very informative and amusing at the time, but that I’ve completely forgotten because – well, you know. After the lessons and tasting were complete, we were invited to chat, ask questions, and finish all the beers. The host did a great job of making the event light and enjoyable and getting everyone to have fun. As an example, he brought out some Bass and Guinness and asked if anyone wanted to make black and tans. Then they got to drink them, which is much more enjoyable than just making them. He passed out additional beer too. I won’t reveal the secret “mystery” beer as I don’t even remember drinking it by this point and don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Oh, and the husband of the lady who had to leave, did not want her beer. We offered that he should take them to her in “to go” cups, but he refused. I bet he got hell over that. So we all drank one of her beers in her honor. Now I know I was just lucky, but next time I won’t chance it to luck. I’m going to have my DW go to the kids club and page several of the others attending the beer tasting. So in conclusion, if you like beer, it is well worth the $15 for the tasting. I recommend it so much that it should be a tip….

TIP : Drink beer


No caption needed

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As my friend and I stumble out of Diversions, we realize it is 3:00. What was supposed to be a 30 minute beer tasting ended up going for an hour. I told you it was fun. So we figure we better check in with the wives or we may never taste beer again. We go back to our rooms , which are just a few doors down from each other, and he has a note in his little fishy note holder thingy. It said his wife was at Cove Café, so he headed that way to find her. I did not have a note, because my wife does not love me. I went into the cabin and found out why – she was in bed sleeping. All the spa time relaxing and getting a massage had worn the poor little darling out. So I left and headed to Cove Café to find my friends. A little coffee sounds great right about now since all the beers are making me sleepy. It actually took some effort not to climb into bed with DW and nap.

On my way to Cove Café, Stitch was out by the pool taking photos and there was no line. So I just HAD to have my photo taken with him. With no one in line, we got to fool around a bit (not like that you sickos) and goof off.

TIP: The best time to take photos with the characters is when no one else is in line.

TIP (two in a row – that’s a record): The ship was full, but Cove Café and Outlook Café were usually empty. If you want a very nice relaxing place to enjoy some espresso or cappuccino (they have a LaCimbali machine) and read a book or just look out the window, this is a wonderful spot that has not been discovered by the masses yet. And prices are pretty reasonable. All they needed was some Nutella for the croissants in the morning.

Me and my bud Stitch. Wife would not let me get photo with Ariel after what happened last time.

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Right around the corner was Cove Café, but they were not there. Nor where they upstairs in Outlook Café, but I saw them down by the adult pool.

So I’m feeling not so sleepy and skip the coffee because right now I see an opportunity to visit with my friends. We really have not spent much time together other than dinner the previous night. That was sort of by design – too much of a good thing and all. But anyway, I join them sitting in the sun by the pool. Bam – “Would you like a drink sir?”. If I’m going to get any peace and quiet, I’m going to have to order a drink. And here I was again without my Official Disney Cruise Line DOTD Plastic Glass. But I had an out. I did not want to risk waking my poor dear wife by going into the room to get the glass. So we spent a very relaxing hour sitting there talking and drinking.

I then went back to the room and my DW was not there. So I explored the ship looking for her and taking more of those wonderful photos that she immediately deletes when she sees them on the computer. Around 5 I decided I really needed that coffee after all and went into Cove Café where I sat with an espresso and read a magazine (they have plenty of magazines for reading there). DW found me and we sat and chatted for a while.

Secret aft sun deck - no one was there.

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[Redeemed&Loved]

Fantastic report so far! Love the photo captions :)

[lborne]

Thanks all for reading.

Added photo of me and Stitch. He made me laugh the next day - details in the CC day report.

[lborne]

Back to our exciting adventure on the high seas. Now where was I? Oh yes, sitting in Cove Cafe and talking to my DW. I know what you are thinking - after (checks wedding date inscribed on inside of ring and tries to do the math) 18 long long years of marriage, what could you and DW possibly have left to say to each other. Those of you with children know exactly what we were talking about - the kids (and when the heck am I going to get that vasectomy).

Finally it was time to get the little rug rats (opps, sorry, those are Nickelodeon owned characters) - the Little Einstiens, feed them a snack and get them ready for the show. Tonight was the Pirate Party night and DS7 was going to dress as a pirate. So DW took them down to the room to get them and herself ready. I got some snacks and brought them to the room. We all got showered and dressed and headed to see Toy Story the Musical which we’d never seen before as it is new.

A pirate's life for me door

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Cute right? Just like Gremlins.

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We thought the show was pretty good, but not as good as The Golden Mickeys nor Disney Dreams. DS11 loved the costumes, and I agree that was the best part. What was lacking were the original songs. Other than “You’ve got a friend in me”, all the other songs were new and obviously composed just for this show. They seemed rather generic as opposed to the unique and catchy songs we grew to love watching the movie. But still, it was better than most cruise lines where you can see Bob and his Amazing Dummy act, featuring his talent less wife as the dummy.


Trying to look scary.

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DW took the kids to “A Pirate’s Life For Me” game show and I went back to the room to pour us a glass of wine. The first day you may recall I ordered wine glasses from room service (no?, you don't recall - its right up there in the first post). But we’d left them at the dinner table – on purpose as I did not want to carry dirty wine glasses back to the room (We are pretty so fist icate ed like that). I did not want to wait 30+ minutes for more to arrive, so I stopped by the Promenade Lounge and they were more than happy to give me a couple wine glasses. Once filled back at the room, I met up with DW and the boys for the APLFM game show. It was fun, geared towards kids, and involves the audience. My boys loved it.


DW made us take a few shots of us together - probably to be used in court against me.

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Now it was time for dinner at Animator’s Palette. We requested the TAP dining rotation because we wanted to be in AP for the Pirate Night, and we wanted to skip Parrot Cay for Palo. However, from reading on the DIS, we discovered that nothing special happens in the dining room on pirate night on 3 day cruises anymore. They used to give pirate bandanas to wear, but now there is nothing. Of all the menus, this one we liked the least. If it had not been for wanting the kids to see the color changing show in AP, we would have probably picked this night for our Palo night. Don’t get me wrong, the food was fine, but for us, the selections were not as appealing as other menus. For appetizer I ordered the Ahi Tuna Tartare With Caviar, Chives, and Wasabi Cream. It was really good. Next I ordered the Confetti tomato salad and something else that I can’t remember and which is not on any menu I found online. The tomato salad was kind of blah. The tomatoes were Ok, but they were served over plain wilted lettuce. For my main courses (I got two) I ordered prime rib (I think, because again, I can’t find it on any menu) and the Black Bean Chipotle Cakes Over Corn Kernels and Brown Rice topped with Tomato-Cilantro Salsa. The black bean cakes were really good and just as advertised. A bit too spicy for my DW who took a bite. For dessert I had the Animator's Sweet Temptations - A Trio of Strawberry Sable, Cranberry and Orange Cheesecake, and Double-Fudge Chocolate Cake. Plus a Mickey Bar.

Composite of 3 photos I took during the meal showing progression of color or colour for you Brits.

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Mickey looks a little deranged, but still tasted good.

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TIP: If nothing on the menu looks good, or you just don’t like what you get, you can order something else from the other restaurant’s menu. You can usually go to Guest Services the first day and get copies of all the menus, or you can just print them out from the FAQ link here on the DIS. Although as I have discovered, the new AP has one or two changes.

Since the boys were showing signs of kids club withdrawal, we used the Dine and Play option for DS7. When we got to the table we notified our waiters that he would be participating in the DnP and leaving at 9, so they made sure to get his dinner out early. It worked great. You just bring your child to the restaurant entrance and counselors there take them to the lab for you. This is only available for the late seating time. We have nothing like this at our house. Wouldn’t it be great to have a live in Au Pair that could take the kids when they started whining? If we did not spend so much money on vacations, maybe we could afford one. She’d have to be good looking too, in which case I don’t think DW is going to let her into the country, let alone our home. DS7 pretty much never went into the Club but always stayed at the Lab. The smaller children in the Club never seemed to migrate over to the Lab and vice versa. A short time after DS7 left for the club, DS11 and our friends DS11 left and checked themselves into the lab. (Are you as confused as I am?) Lets just say at this point we were kidless again. Here we were worried that DS7 would be paging us every hour or so to check on him or come and get him, or that DS11 would be checking himself out of the lab all the time to do who knows what. But as it turned out, it was like the hotel California. Once checked in, they could not check out – or at least never wanted us to check them out.

The servers are very accommodating. One note – they try very hard, almost too hard, to make sure you rate everything excellent. They kept reminding us that if we did not like anything, to let them know and they will be sure to bring us something we liked, as they are responsible for the food preparation even though they don’t cook it. It was fine to hear the first time, but they kept repeating it over and over. I know the kinds of pressure they are under and the long hours they work and don’t blame them at all.

We lingered over coffee and dessert. According to one waiter, the fireworks go off at 10:15. The other said 10:30. So we left the restaurant around 10:00 and picked up the kids from the lab to head up to the Pirate Party. We watched the party from deck 10 with tired kids that needed to be held. Right around 10:30 Mickey shows up and the fireworks go off. I bet that good for nothing Carnival cruise ship was out there running with their lights off trying to get a glimpse of OUR fireworks. We know they are too cheap and don’t have the kind of pull Disney has to get their own fireworks.

Mickey saves the night and the dessert buffet from evil.

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Oooooh

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Aaaaaah

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The oooooh and aaaah reminds me of a joke. Ready? Don't worry, its included with your admission price.

The oooooh aaaaaah bird is so called because it lays square eggs.


Ok where was I? Oh yes, hurting my brain trying to remember what happened next.



Then it was off to bed for DW and DS7, but not before taking a photo in front of the buffet.

Pooped Pirate

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Keen eyes will observe a tray of fresh fruit in the photo. Have no fear, that is only a very small part of the buffet and there are plenty of unhealthy, beautifully decorated, OK tasting desserts. They may all be gone by the time YOU actually get through the line, but I bet the fruit will always be there.


DS11 and I stayed up and sampled the desserts.
Here is where cruising gets a bad reputation - Late night buffets, but with Disney it is 90% desserts with a few giant turkey legs thrown in for appetizers. After the fireworks people scrambled to get in the buffet lines. They pushed and shoved and I’m sure most of them had gone several minutes without eating anything. Really, we learned from past cruises that the Pirate Party desserts all taste about the same and so skipped them. Instead we had the crepes. It was late, we were all tired, and the lines are quite disorganized. This is one area where Disney could apply a little order – maybe in the form of their cattle fencing that they use in the parks to route everyone in the right direction. (Don't you hate when people in these lines go over or under to cut in front of you? That's why cattle fences are electrifed Disney - are you listening?) DS11 and I stayed up and watched part of the Pirates movie being shown on Aerial view TV before heading to bed.

And so ended our Nassau day.


OH - almost forgot. The amazing sailing yacht that was docked in Nassau - owned by Jim Clark. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_(yacht)

See the size of that mast? Must be compensating for something. At least thee with little money likes to think so.

[Señor DonDuck]

Highly entertaining report! Can't wait for the next update.

[Dyerneeds]

well now i have to ask....what happened with Ariel the last time?popcorn:::rotfl:

[lborne]

well now i have to ask....what happened with Ariel the last time?popcorn:::rotfl:

The Disney lawyers say I'm not allowed to talk about it. Actually, I was just kidding. Sort of. I was thinking of about an encounter with another character which is not really that funny or amusing. We were at MGM for Star Wars weekend and Aayla Secura was there taking photos so I had my photo taken with her and my wife just thought I was a little too happy and giddy about it as I would not stop talking about her and if she (my DW) would paint her entire body blue for me. And on top of that, DW did not actually take a photo of me with her, so I was really bummed for a week.

Here is the only good photo I could find of her online.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n125/mackrekerdude/SW-Cast-Aayla-Secura-01.jpg

[iloverags2]

Absolutely loving your report!!!

[jessrose18]

I am enjoying your report:thumbsup2

[lborne]

Thanks again all. Its nice to get positive feedback. I normally keep a diary of my life, not every day, but at least a few events a week. So this TR will be a nice addition to my diary for our trip.

The DIS boards are great. How did people survive without the internet?

[jessrose18]

I know what you mean about never being as prepared as you think. I did lots of research before our first cruise on RCCL and then on the ship it all left my mind! Being on the ship is a different experience. I am trying to write more tips down for our first DC, thanks for the detailed info. That beer tasting looks great, I think DH will try it we also probably wont get off the ship in Nassau. We are going on the podcast cruise in December!

[Evad]

Great TR so far!!!!!!! Can't wait until tomorrows installment!!!! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2

[lborne]

I know what you mean about never being as prepared as you think. I did lots of research before our first cruise on RCCL and then on the ship it all left my mind! Being on the ship is a different experience. I am trying to write more tips down for our first DC, thanks for the detailed info. That beer tasting looks great, I think DH will try it we also probably wont get off the ship in Nassau. We are going on the podcast cruise in December!

Do you have to do anything special for the podcast cruise? One thing I did NOT want to do on a 3 nighter was the FE. It sounds great, but I HATE having to be tied down by it. I'm too responsible to just let it slide and it would consume my every moment.

Yeah - it really took 4 Disney cruises before we felt comfortable in knowing what to do. We learned some good lessons even on this cruise - mainly about the last morning and how we could just hang out on deck and play while everyone else waited in line.

I was on a Regent cruise (where everything, including alcholol is included) and was at a bar and could not decide what whiskey to try, so the bar tender held an impromtu whisky tasting for me. As great as that was, the beer tasting on Disney was just, if not more fun. I'd almost have to rate that as one of my favorite activities (except for the erotic, I mean exotic, rasul). And to think that both are on a DISNEY ship.

[lborne]

What? This is the last full day of our cruise? Already? I’ve spent more time writing this TR than I spent on the ship up to this point. At least it is CC day. One of the main reasons to sail Disney. I was up early again, showered, put on some clothes so as not to attract too much attention, and bounded up to Cove Café on deck 9 for my coffee.

TIP (I know I'm supposed to include tips in my TR but I’ll make sure to have my lawyer scratch that from the contract next time) : If they don’t hand you a frequent caffeine addict coffee card when you buy your first coffee at the Cove Café, just ask for one. After 5 or 6 coffees (I can’t remember exactly – it could be 60 for all I know), you get one free.

TIP: And if you continue to forget your card like I did, you can bring them all in and they can combine them into a single card that you can forget the next time.

I enjoyed my coffee and watched the Wonder back into the CC dock. Well, it did not back INTO the dock, although I prayed really hard that it would so we could be stuck at CC several days while they repaired the spleen – or whatever big piece of metal needed to be fixed.

It was around 8:00 now and so I headed back to the room and DW and the kids were ready for breakfast. We ate at Tritons again and were seated near our friends, but not at the same table, nor the same chairs, which can be quite uncomfortable at times. I could really get used to all this wonderful service. I sure as heck don’t get it at home. I was definitely born 50 years too late. I was meant to live in times where the woman cooks and serves her husband. What we need in this country are more educational TV programs for women, like Leave it to Beaver. (Please note that I am only kidding. Once in an old TR I made a comment about how Disney should do something about all the kids on their ship. I thought it was obvious that I was being sarcastic, but let me tell you, I got a few emails from some moms with anger issues.) I promise that eventually I’m going to get back to the TR…. It will be just a few more moments….. here it comes….now.

This morning I got the Nature Power Breakfast Muesli – (granola, orange juice, yogurt, dried fruits, honey, milk and cheese) and the Mango Mountain Hike – (a fresh blend of mangoes, honey muesli and low-fat yogurt) all on a sesame seed bun (not really). The Mango Mountain Hike and the Tug Boat that I had yesterday are blended like smoothies and come in a glass, whereas the Power Breakfast Muesli comes in a bowl and is a little thicker. I then had the eggs benedict with a side of potatoes. Of course, they also come around with a tray of croissants, donuts and other pastries – the chocolate pastry being my favorite.

Oh boy – now it was time to change into our suits, pack a bag for the beach and enjoy everyone’s favorite pastime – applying sunscreen to our children who have no concept how bad skin cancer can be, nor how much wine mommy drinks. We are amazingly quick and are off the ship by 9:30. It is a beautiful day and CC is a beautiful island. As comparison, we were recently on a HAL cruise and stopped at their private island “Half Moon Cay”, so called because it is shaped like a house key. There were no palm trees on the beach. Did you read that? No palm trees - on a tropical island? Do you know what that means? If the castaways had landed here, there would be no coconuts for Gilligan to drop on the Skipper’s foot and their TV show would have been cancelled in the first season. (That would be another good show for educating women on the proper way to make coconut cream pie and how to properly serve it to their Gilligan). But it also means no shade. Not only does CC have plenty of palm trees, but is littered with colorful beach umbrellas – all free to steal from anyone out in the water. Just kidding, there were plenty of these umbrellas as well as beach chairs for everyone, but that still does not keep people from stealing occupied ones and saving themselves from having to walk another 50 feet. On Half Moon Cay, HAL had these clam shells that you could rent (of course) for $15 a day to keep yourself from becoming crispy bacon in the sun. Its legalized extortion. And to add insult to injury, you have to tender to HMC; whereas with Disney, you just walk off the ship.


I told DW to wear a yellow suit so they would match the ship.

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See how small the ship looks from this far away.

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So now that we are off the ship, we see that the beach is a looooong way away. (Does it annoy you when people repeat letters excessively in a word to emphasize it and make you draw it out? Meeeeee too.) Luckily, being that this is Disney, they have a few of those parking lot trams from the Magic Kingdom lying around. So we wait in line to board the tram to the Ticket and Transportation Center where we wait in line to board the monorail so that we can wait in line to enter the park – ooops, wrong trip report. The tram whisks us almost as fast as the people walking along side us to somewhere further from the ship. At any rate, we’ve done this enough to know we still have plenty of walking to do to get away from the crowds that tend to congregate as close to the ship as possible. Maybe they are worried they might nap and the ship will leave without them, but if they are close, maybe they can still run to catch it. But probably they are just too bloated from last night’s dessert buffet to waddle any further.

From reading the DIS we knew that Pelican Plunge was open. We also knew not to listen to the insert in our map that said it was open only for limited hours, we knew which slide was fastest, how the queue worked, the name of the CM’s working PP and what they had for breakfast. It sort of felt like rope drop at Magic Kingdom and we were heading straight for Space Mountain trying to get there before the mass herds caught up. And PP is set up just like a ride at Disney. There is a controlled entry point with switchback lines, and even on the platform you have to navigate more switchback lines to enter the stairs. DW said it reminded her of an obstacle course challenge on Survivor. Unfortunately, right when we were on the slide it was closed due to technical difficulties beyond their control and I was stuck halfway down for 15 minutes. No wait – that is what happens on Space Mountain. Here, gravity never stopped and I was flung out of the slide back into the frigid waters. Dang, people were not kidding that the enclosed slide was fast. I bet its faster than Test Track. We were supposed to stay in the controlled exit lane and swim back to shore. But the lifeguard was allowing everyone to just go under the rope and back onto the platform, probably because it was not very busy and because she realized how stupid it was that we had to swim back each time and start the obstacle course again.



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Pelican "Plunge You Into The Freezing Water" Slide

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After we’d had our fill of that, we found a couple beach lounges under an umbrella and set up camp. Before my butt hit the chair I heard “Hello sir, can I get you a drink?”. I declined but did tell her to come back soon. The boys started digging in the sand and DW and I began to relax. A bit later our friend (DH) came by with his two children on his way to PP. So the boys and I joined him and we went down the slides several more times. The wait was longer now, but not too terrible. I got a great shot of the kids with the ship in the background, and then we headed back over to our chairs. DW was not there and I assumed that she had gone to find our friend’s (DW) and was chatting with her. My friend and his DD6 headed back to where they were located further up the beach and his DS11 and my boys played in the sand.


We have conquered the Plunge of the Pelican and took no prisoners.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFfTqfoEI/AAAAAAAAFw8/inwfIu0Dm2U/s800/P5154492.JPG

So the waitress comes up again and asks if I’d like anything and this time I’m ready for a DOTD. OMG – not again. The Official Disney Cruise Line DOTD Plastic Glass was back in our room. I knew I should never have gotten it or at least have had it surgically attached to my hand. From where we were sitting, the Wonder looked like a bath toy – much too far for my lazy butt even with the tram running. I told the waitress I really wanted a DOTD, but that I’d forgotten my ODCLDOTDPG. She said that was OK, I could still get the DOTD. No – you don’t understand. I want the DOTD for the cheap price of $3.95 and in the ODCLDOTDPG because it holds more, making it an even better deal. But wait, there’s more. Oh – I can give it to you in a NEW ODCLDOTDPG for $3.95 she says. Are you KIDDING ME? You mean I never had to cart that glass around with me all the time anyway? The urge to harm her was tempered by the fact that I knew if I did, I’d probably never get my DOTD, especially not for $3.95. So I smiled and said, Yes, please bring me a DOTD – and hurry before I change my mind (but she did not know what I meant).


I wanted to take one of those sandy feet laying on the beach chair shots but this girl in a bikini got in the way and spoiled it.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_WTDd7KfYI/AAAAAAAAF3g/9YBUvf9NNm0/s800/P5154493.JPG


It was getting to be around 11:30 and I was starting to get hungry. I kept watching for my DW to come walking up the beach, but never did see her. I needed someone to keep an eye on the kids while I ran to get a snack. It had been a couple hours since breakfast and I was starving now that my stomach had stretched to a size 56. I was standing there by the chairs, peering into the distance to see if I could spot her red swimsuit when I heard her call my name. There she was, right behind me, just waking up in a hammock. She’d been there the entire time. I can see a 1 psi difference in the pressure on our car tires, but I can’t spot my wife lounging less than 20 feet away. I can’t explain it either.

Since DW and the kids are not all that hungry yet, I run over to get a snack, but really ended up just getting soda. I was hungry, but knew if I ate now that I would not be able to eat with my family. So we let the boys play in the sand. DS11 had dug a hole so large that people would stop by to admire it and encourage him to continue. He called it the hot tub.


DS11 made me put up this photo of the giant cavern he dug using only a plastic shovel. Just humor him.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_WTEBDXI6I/AAAAAAAAF3E/K8KukGi7qfE/s800/P5154504.JPG


As it neared 1:00 we made our way to Cookies BBQ for lunch, but not before stopping at a shower and trying to get the sand off the boys. They were covered in it and as soon as they are away from the beach, they want every bit off. You’d think it was some kind of skin eating insect the way they bellowed to get it off.

Once at Cookies we used a great tip learned here on the DIS boards that will be cleverly disguised as my very own tip.

TIP (all mine): Go around to the lines on the sides of Cookies as opposed to the ones right up front. The lines were much shorter. No no – not the lines FOR the cookies – that’s the name of the place to eat at CC.

So we quickly fill our plates. I had some coleslaw that was yummy and DW said the potato salad was fantastic. I mostly had the ribs, which were great, but also had the blackened Mahi Mahi. DW had the Mahi Mahi too and said it was not too spicy for her. As a reference, she thinks Big Red chewing gum is too spicy. For dessert I got a mini banana bread and a large chocolate chip cookie. The kids got ribs, hot dogs and hamburgers, which they must have liked because I don’t recall any complaining for at least several minutes. The trick now is for everyone to get their drinks at the soda fountains and remain together so that we can find an empty table without getting lost. It literally takes longer to get our drinks and find a table than it does to get the food in the first place. Not because there were no empty tables, but because we all headed off for different covered areas.

Now I’ve also read that down at Serenity Bay (the adult beach) they have steak. It sounded good on paper, but that meant me taking another tram, and/or walking long distances to investigate and bring the steak back. In the end, I decided it just was not worth it – plus, DS7 wanted to go to the kids club, and more importantly, the Conched Out Bar’s 2 for 1 happy hour was ending at 2:00, which was just 30 minutes away. I also realized our towels and beach bag were back at the end of the beach where we left them. We were ready to hang out on the beach right here because my DW did not want to walk all the way back, but mostly because the bar was within sight. So DS11 went down to find us some empty chairs (there were plenty despite that part of the beach being right near the food and bar), DW took DS7 to the kids club, and I went back to get all the gear we had left behind.

I’m back in a flash and have a seat at the bar and anxiously await DW’s return so we can get the 2 for 1 drinks, because I’m just as cheap as she is. When DW arrives we order mojitos. Let me tell you, we are picky about our mojitos, even if I have a really hard time spelling it. These were wonderful and made with real mint crushed in the glass. We had an energetic and fun bar tender from the UK (Essex area) who chatted with us while we enjoyed his hand crafted motitos. A bit later our friends came by and invited DS11 to go on the dinasour dig with them, and then head over to the game pavillion. We stay at the bar and drink. I also discovered fresh papaya and mango. When we originally got our lunch at Cookies, they had a “tropical fruit mix” which consisted of mostly watermellon, cantalope, honeydew and pineapple. But once Cookies closed for lunch, they put out platters of fruit that included mango and papaya, as well as small sandwiches and other goodies.

TIP – stop by Cookies after they are closed to see what other items they have out.


It was now about 2:30 and DS11 and DW wanted to see Alice in Wonderland which was playing on the ship at 3:30. So time to head back. We find DS11 on his way to the game pavillion so he and DW head back to shower and get to the movie. I stop to get DS7 from the kids club but not before making a slight detour to the ice cream machine to get a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone – for me, not him - yummy, but you’ve got to eat them quick because they melt fast and you don’t want your kids seeing you with one or else they will make you go back to get them one. DS7 had a blast during his short time at the kids club on CC. For all you parents out there, if you did not already know this, the kids club area on CC is no where near the water and they do NOT take the children in the water at anytime except to feed the sharks (JK). So its really safe. The activities involve sand and what little water is there comes from a garden hose.

Also, since I’m leaving CC and heading back to the ship - this would be a good time to mention that we did not encounter any sand flies, mosquitoes or any other type of pests (excluding fellow passengers and their larva).

TIP: Make sure to wear shoes, sandals, space shuttle tiles, etc. because the concrete paths get brutally hot.

So DS7 and I hop onto the tram and no one can remember if the ship is parked in the Mickey lot or the Goofy lot. Luckily its kind of hard to miss, and we eventually are allowed to board after using germ killing wipes. Sorry germs, you gotta no KTTW card, you no boarda the ship.

All right, this portion of the TR is over because I’m not exactly sure what happened next. I think at this point on the cruise, depression set in and clouded my already fogged mind. Our lovely day on the beach was over and if you can temporarily forget that we live only a mile from a georgeous Florida beach, its kind of sad. Not only that, we had only about 6 or so families on the DIS meets board. Just a couple thousand shy of what we needed for a mutiny, so we really were going to leave CC.

Check back tomorrow for part 2 where I have a run in with Stitch, we have an amazing meal at Palo, and I tell you all about DW frantically packing the suitcase 5 minutes before it must be outside the door.

[Redeemed&Loved]

Your TR is great - makes me want to be on that beach right now!

[jessrose18]

Loved your update I don't know whats more impressive your amount of detail or the jokes:goodvibes Thanks! The podcast cruise is December 12-16th 4 nighter. Don't have to do anything special except book through dreams unlimited travel, you get a 50 shipboard credit as well. There are going to be special guest on board speaking and a performance from Jodi Benson (voice of little mermaid) also on the first podcast cruise they gave away some free stuff including drinks and they do a live podcast taping. I didn't go on the first one, but there is a whole section about the cruise under the podcast forum. So far 700 dis members have booked. Just the info I know off the top of my head. Looking forward to your palo review.

[GoVolsMom]

Would it possible to list the Drinks of the Day and a description (good, bad, strange taste, not worth the money, worth trying, etc)?

[lborne]

Would it possible to list the Drinks of the Day and a description (good, bad, strange taste, not worth the money, worth trying, etc)?

Sorry, but I just did not notice my DOTD. Know what I mean? They were all some frozen sweet fruity drink with rum or some such alchohol and I just sat happily looking at my surroundings and paid not real attention to the drink. To me they were all good and I think worth the money. I'm actually amazed at how cheap the Disney drink prices are considering they have a captive audience. I can ask my DW later as she really notices things like that because she is a woman and so picky.

I do know what they were called. Bahama Mama, Planter's Punch and on CC - the Stingray. Maybe the Stingray was over ice.

You'd be much better off asking this question on the main forum where lots of people can see it.

[Dyerneeds]

I wanted to take one of those sandy feet laying on the beach chair shots but this girl in a bikini got in the way and spoiled it.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_WTDd7KfYI/AAAAAAAAF3g/9YBUvf9NNm0/s800/P5154493.JPG



hey! i dont remember signing a release so you could post my Sweet Polly's picture here.:rotfl:;)

[Dyerneeds]

so, how much wine exactly does mommy drink?:lmao::rotfl2:

FE game is fun.:wizard: until someone sticks a red Br@ FE on your cabin door like on our cruise!!:3dglassespopcorn::

enjoying the updates.:thumbsup2 i'll have to catch up later as we leave for WDW tomorrow.:wizard:

[Dyerneeds]

The Disney lawyers say I'm not allowed to talk about it. Actually, I was just kidding. Sort of. I was thinking of about an encounter with another character which is not really that funny or amusing. We were at MGM for Star Wars weekend and Aayla Secura was there taking photos so I had my photo taken with her and my wife just thought I was a little too happy and giddy about it as I would not stop talking about her and if she (my DW) would paint her entire body blue for me. And on top of that, DW did not actually take a photo of me with her, so I was really bummed for a week.

Here is the only good photo I could find of her online.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n125/mackrekerdude/SW-Cast-Aayla-Secura-01.jpg

:rotfl:
that reminds me of the time we were at MGM during star wars weekend.
chics dressed up like Princess Leia everywhere.:cloud9:pirate::upsidedow;)

[lborne]

Today I am home from work tending to a sick DS7. Normally I’ve been writing these TR updates on my lunch break, but here I am now sitting at the kitchen of my very quiet (DS7 is asleep) home, with a cup of coffee and plugging this out on my laptop. I kind of feel like a writer, except I know that I would never have the patience to actually write more than a TR. And MS Word is telling me that the previous sentence is fragmented and I have no idea what that means. OK – let’s get back to the TR before my coffee gets cold or DS7 wakes up?

Now back on board, DS7 and I get washed up and I take him to the Lab. I toyed with the idea of joining DW and DS11 at the theater to see Alice in Wonderland, but it was already 3:45 and the movie started at 3:30; although I later found out that they show previews. Since I was all alone, I was determined to actually read at least a page or two in my book. I grabbed my book, but not my ODCLDOTDPC – I left it ON PURPOSE this time – take THAT Disney. We had brought a small bottle of coconut rum on board and were given some very nice aluminum water bottles for being part of the Castaway Club. I filled one about a quarter (or maybe it was half) full with the rum and headed for the drink station. There I poured in ice and coke, making sure to use the paper cups provided so I did not contaminate the drinking station, but most importantly so that I did not get dirty looks from anyone due to my contaminating the drinking station and have to read about my inappropriate behavior on the DIS.

With my coke and rum, and my book, I looked forward to at least an hour and a half of relaxation. I’ve had enough sun for the year, so the adult pool was out. However, I knew just where to go – Outlook Café – or just right outside of there where they had these really comfortable looking lounge chairs with ottomans. How did those little seats for your feet become known as ottomans? I bet it has something to do with the empire, but I don’t remember seeing them in any of the Star Wars movies. As I was walking I looked over the railing and saw the continuous stream of people coming back to the ship. I’d better hurry since there are not many of those chairs. I found one and it was wonderful. I had a great view of the unoccupied part of CC, and if I sat just right, no construction equipment was in sight.


Here is MY chair and ottoman outside of Cove Cafe. The end table is MINE too.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FE90Qjk5I/AAAAAAAAFuY/uF8Ix0N6hvg/s800/100_3903.JPG


I enjoyed two entire chapters of my book – Naked Came the Manatee. Normally I do most of my reading at home and can get a lot read, usually the same paragraph over and over. I already know better than to try and read when the kids are awake, so I routinely wait until they go to sleep. The problem is, my DW is still awake and that is when she likes to “talk”. And she expects me to respond to her like she thinks normal husbands do. So I can’t just sit there and pretend to listen. I've never mastered the technique some husbands use where they can nod or shake their head at appropriate times to feign that they are listening. I usually nod when I should have shaken, and this always leads to a much longer conversation at much higher volume levels. So whenever there is a short break, I quickly read a paragraph before being interrupted again. But then, when I go back, I have to re-read that paragraph to get myself caught back up.

Yes, I’ll get back to my TR at some point. Stop complaining – I could go and take a nap right now instead of writing.

My official aluminum Castaway Club water (coke and rum) bottle is now empty and needs a refill. The wait staff are no help to me, nor are the kids or DW. So I have to make a quick run back down to the room to get the rum and then back up to the drink station to get the coke and ice. I take my book with me because I’m not one of those scum balls you read about here on the DIS that put a towel or book on a chair to reserve it. Instead, I flip it over on its side.

Our aft room is very convenient. You normally don’t have long waits for the aft elevators except when everyone is boarding (like they were doing now). But I just took the stairs since I needed some exercise, and the dink station is straight up from our room. I got back to Cove Café and mentioned the free bingo game on deck 15 to the lady who had rudely taken MY chair. So I sat down and began chapter 3. Soon along came Stitch with his cast member handler. They were hamming it up even though no one was really around to see. He bounded in front of the automatic doors for Cove Café and started to go in, but the CM said “No stitch, I don’t think having espresso is a very good idea.” I laughed. Then Stitch noticed me. I was not sure what was going to happen, but he came over and gave me a mini shoulder massage. It made my day as long as I imagined a good looking female inside the costume. Yeah, that was my “encounter” with Stitch. Kind of lame, huh? But that does not happen on Carnival. On Carnival the good looking lady is not wearing a stitch (costume).

Notice how the jokes are getting less and less funny the further I get into this TR? What do you mean they were never funny?

Back to my book, at least for a few minutes until my pager went off. That’s odd I thought, because DS7 wanted so bad to go back to the club. Maybe he’d found his way to the bridge and was pushing buttons, or he blew up the lab making flubber. But the pager said “Your child is participating in the Friendship Rocks show. Meet us at the Walt Disney Theater.” Now that is NOT what I was expecting. See, we talked to our kids about this show earlier in the planning stages for the cruise and they said they would rather skip it since they had done it twice before when it was called something else.

Because I am here at home instead of work, I have access to my old Navigators from the past cruises and can look up the name of the old show before it was changed to Friendship Rocks. But you know, it would be a heck of a lot easier to just ask someone on the DIS. OK OK, I’ll get off my lazy butt since I need more coffee anyway. Anyone know what it costs to have a live in butler? I mean butleress? Before it was Friendship Rocks, the show was called “Celebrate the Journey”. Do I get bonus points for that?

So I ran down to the room to put my book away and write DW a note on the magnetic post it notes that I brought and stuck to the door – which she never used. I kept the “water” bottle with me and found a seat right near the front of the stage. Soon the kids began streaming in. Hmmmm – where is DS7? He’s not there. I know where he is – back in the Lab playing the ship simulator now that everyone has cleared out and is here in the theater. Well, I tried to be a good parent, but my kid just did not cooperate. I kind of felt like a “you know what predator” being there watching all the kids when mine was not even there. And I did not want to walk out and have people think I was a bad parent leaving the show early – plus they present a slideshow of photos taken over the past couple days and I thought I might see my kids, but nope they were not in any of the photos either. Thankfully it was only a 15 minute show. I was a bit annoyed at the staff for paging me, but it was not worth complaining because I felt overall things had improved since the last cruise.

It was now around 4:45 – 5:00 (?) – early enough that I thought maybe I could get 15 more minutes out by Cove Café. As I was headed to the room to get my book I hear DW and the kids call out to me. The movie was over and DW picked up DS7 from the club. While DW got ready for the show, I brought both boys upstairs to eat. We ran into our friends DS11 who was getting pizza, so the 3 boys and I sat out by the pool and ate. I could not just sit there and watch them eat, so I had chicken tenders (of course). They all got ice cream and then it was time to get them ready for the show.

Tonight’s show was Disney Dreams. I love this show. I hope they don’t get rid of it. Maybe they could just move it to 7 night cruises. It was amazing, as always. We arrived only about 5 minutes early for each of the shows and never had a problem getting a good row of 4 seats. And I was told the ship was filled. Maybe it was due to the later dinner seating, as most people try to get the early dinner and then see the show later.

The show let out right at 7:15 and our Palo reservations were for 7:00 – 7:30. DW checked DS7 into the lab and DS11 just checked himself in. I can see in a few years that it’s going to be really nice when they can both check themselves in and out. I headed back to the room to get some wine, but had to stop at the Promenade lounge to get some glasses first. It was slow going as the path from the theater to the Promenade lounge took me through Shutters (the area where they display the photos), and this being the last night and the theater just letting out, it was very crowded. Pretty frustrating actually because naturally people just kind of stand still in Shutters to admire how great their photos look. Shutters is really just in the wrong location, but I suppose it is like that on purpose to make sure everyone is going to pass through at least a couple dozen times.

I pick up the glasses, refill them from the room, and then head to Palo. It’s about 7:25 now and our friends and DW are sitting in the lounge area waiting for me to check us in. When I originally asked to reschedule our 8:30 reservation, they offered 8:00, but I said if possible, we would really like to eat right after the show – 7:30 ish. They were so accommodating and just wrote 7:00 – 7:30 on my reservation card and said to come anytime between then and they would seat us. As it turned out I am glad I had that signed reservation card because my new time did not make it to the master list. They had me down for 8:30 and I had to show them my card. There was a bit of confusion now. There were 3 other couples waiting to be seated and they said they could seat us right after they seated the other 3 couples. But we did not know how long of a wait that would mean, if any, and we were not told. However, we were promptly seated BEFORE any of the other couples – odd.

I realize I did not get any good photos of the inside of Palos.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_QBK23qIfI/AAAAAAAAF0g/OT05FWh7m0c/s800/P5154465.JPG

This was the first time our friends (who were on their 4th Disney cruise as well) had been to Palo. If they had not been cruising with us, I don’t think they would have bothered to try it. We were seated in a very nice table right by a window so we could look out over the water. The past 2 times we’ve sailed were in November, so by 8:00 at night it was dark and we never realized what a nice view Palo’s offers. Another thing we noticed about sailing this time was that we never felt the ship rock at all. Not even a little. It felt like we were docked the entire cruise. Normally I don’t mind a bit of rocking. It tends to clear out the restaurants and then I get better service.


http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFaraR_AI/AAAAAAAAFwc/sLGqANTrELM/s800/P5154466.JPG


This is our 4th visit to Palo’s and we’ve come to have very high expectations. That is usually a bad thing because seldom can something live up to high expectations time and time again. Palo did. Service was remarkable. With fewer tables to wait on, we got lots of attention. The great Palo experiences could also be attributed to the fact that we’ve always dined with family (the members we like) or friends. But be warned, the meals here linger and you can easily be there 3 hours unless you mention before hand that you’d like to be done at a certain time. Just mention to the waiter that you want speedy service like you get at Taco Bell. You are sure to get noticed. Our friends had not brought their own glasses of wine, but they had a glass at Tritons that they really liked, so ordered a bottle of that even though it was not on the Palo menu.

TIP: The wines listed in Palo’s menu are more expensive than those available at the other restaurants. However, you can order bottles from other restaurant menus if you remember. Probably, even if they had not remembered, the waiter could have gotten them the wine list from the other restaurant.

First off, you will get a selection of freshly baked breads and 3 different dipping sauces. Your waiter will also bring out the Antipasto - Prosciutto, Bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano, Marinated Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes. Next we ordered a pizza for the table. There are several kinds listed on the menu, but we asked for it to be made with mushroom and prosciutto as our topping. It was perfect as there were 4 slices. I had the Tuna Carpaccio and Lemon Oil Dressing which was Thin Slices of Ahi Grade Tuna brushed with our Chef's Special Lemon Oil. And I also had the fried calamari. I have had both of these here before and knew they were excellent. For my main course I had the Grilled Monkfish with Braised Radicchio and Prosciutto, Served with creamy Mascarpone Polenta. I also had a half order of the Lobster and Mascarpone Ravioli
Freshly prepared served with a light Truffle Beurre Blanc.

TIP: You can get half size orders of practically anything which is nice if you can’t decide what to get.

DW and one of our friends got the Beef Tenderloin, and everyone in our party on the past 2 cruises (excepting me) has gotten it for their main course. Everyone felt it was excellent and I never saw one that had to go back.

For dessert we got a sweet pizza for the table. The description on the menu is not complete. It was a pizza with vanilla olive oil sauce, but it also had tons of cut strawberries and some type of sweet creamed cheese on it. We were all stuffed from dinner but the pizza was completely gone in a minute. But we still wanted more dessert. I’ve had the amazingly famous chocolate soufflé before. In fact, last time we were at Palo, they brought me two. So I wanted to try something different. I had the Pineapple and Almond Ravioli which is Lightly Poached Pineapple filled with an Almond Mousse. DW had a bite and did not like it, but she did not think she’d like it based on the description. I thought it was really good and different and I’d get it again. DW got the Chocolate Amaretto Indulgence - Silky Milk Chocolate, fresh Raspberries on Almond and Biscotti base, with extra Dark Chocolate sauce. She liked it so much that by the time I asked for a bite, it was gone. We had coffee with our dessert which is real brewed coffee and not the typical Nescafe sludge. So now, after 4 meals at Palo, we’d not hesitate to do it again and again.

The cost for Palo is $15 per person and then you are expected to tip on top of that. We figured that we’d just eaten a $150 meal per couple (without the wine), so we tipped based on that.


Hey - how come my friend gets to be in the middle of the women?

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FE5urC6WI/AAAAAAAAFuE/2Nokh2RPbM8/s800/100_3885.JPG


After dinner it was getting late. We figured we would not see our friends the next morning as disembarkation mornings can be hectic and the friendly Disney staff throw you off the ship. It was about 10:50 and DW still had to pack a suitcase to put outside by 11:00. We did not worry too much because….

TIP: You don’t have to put your luggage outside the night before, but you will then have to lug it yourself off the ship. A good plan is to leave all luggage in your room while eating breakfast (which your wait staff will appreciate), and then grab it when you are done.

However, we really did not want to have to lug our big suitcase. So while DW packed, I checked the kids out of the lab and turned in our pagers and their wrist bands. This was one of the longer lines we had to wait in. But I did not mind spending time waiting in the line because I knew a tired, packing at the last minute wife, is better left alone. I learned that lesson the hard way when last time I made the suggestion that she should not have packed so much in the first place. But eventually the fractures healed.

Once back at the room I got DS7 tucked into bed. DW was just finishing packing and it was 11:10. Again – I knew better than to call out the time every minute. I put the suitcase outside and it was gone the next morning, so evidently 10 minutes late is still OK. DS11 wanted to go to the arcade since he had never been yet. So I took him with the intention of getting the least amount of money on the arcade card as possible. But luckily, the one game he wanted to play still had credits on it, so he got to play for free. We then took one last walk around the ship. We finally got back to the room around midnight and went to sleep.

Check back next week for the last and saddest day of the cruise. I might get time to up finish this TR up over the weekend, but don’t count on it.

[iloverags2]

I have to agree about Palo...definitely worth it to go back over and over and over again! Did you finish "Naked Came the Manatee" ever? Such a fun book. I took a class at Miami with Evelyn Mayerson (one of the writers) around the time that book came out. She had us break off into groups and write a short story in the same manner as the book was written...what a hoot that was!

Looking forward to your final installment on what has been a fun report!

[lborne]

Did you finish "Naked Came the Manatee" ever? Such a fun book. I took a class at Miami with Evelyn Mayerson (one of the writers) around the time that book came out. She had us break off into groups and write a short story in the same manner as the book was written...what a hoot that was!

Looking forward to your final installment on what has been a fun report!

Thanks. That sounds like fun to write a book like that. I have not finished. I have not even opened the book since the cruise. I've been meaning to read it for ages, and only took it on the cruise because it is small. I'm sure I'll have it finished by Christmas.

[lborne]

More photots can be found here at my photo site. I think I used most in the TR, but you can find more from previous Disney cruises. And some of you Disney fanatics might find the old photos from the 1970s interesting - last folder in the list.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Bornefamily

[juniedog]

Thanks a million for the laughs! Great TR.

[dibond38]

Love your TR - Can't wait to get my own Drink of the Day cup!!

[Redeemed&Loved]

More photots can be found here at my photo site. I think I used most in the TR, but you can find more from previous Disney cruises. And some of you Disney fanatics might find the old photos from the 1970s interesting - last folder in the list.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Bornefamily

Thanks for sharing the old 70s Disney photos! Classic!

[lborne]

We woke this morning bright and early to the sounds of us docking in Port Canaveral. We are now officially considered stow-a-ways, and Disney was going to give us our one last, very quick, meal before tossing us to the cheerful US customs officials for processing.

One of the best tips I learned here on the DIS is that you do not have to go to breakfast at your assigned time and restaurant as Beach Blanket Buffet will be open. This was especially useful information when we had early seating because the assigned breakfast times were 6:30, 6:45 or 7:00, which even though I am usually up early, the rest of the family is still sleeping and trying to get everyone ready and out of the room by 6:30 is not going to be fun. I feel especially bad for the wait staff that have to deal with us depressed zombies when they only have that Nescafe sludge to offer.

TIP: Cove Café is open the last morning where you can get real coffee.

But since this cruise we booked late seating, our assigned dining time was 8 am. That we could do. We finished packing our small bags and carried them to Parrot Cay. We left them outside along the wall where many other people had left their bags. Our servers were there and took us to our table. We had a nice breakfast, but to be honest, I don’t remember exactly what I had because I was sulking. DS7 wanted a Mickey bar, and normally we don’t let our kids eat ice cream for breakfast, but we were still on vacation and let him ask the server for one. Unfortunately, the stockpiles of Mickey bars are in a portion of the ship that is now locked and off limits. Give me back those tip envelopes.


Outside of Parrot Cay before our last chance to pig out.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FE6YPXsTI/AAAAAAAAFuI/ZdjG2fFk8Mo/s800/100_3888.JPG


Sad that the cruise is over and he can't even get a Mickey Bar for breakfast.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_qUhAY5DAI/AAAAAAAAF4I/xlk_HP35Ma0/s800/100_3889.JPG



Now they are happy because we said maybe we'd have to do another Disney cruise next year.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_qUlgmtKSI/AAAAAAAAF4Q/OdjpZ0tPxOg/s800/100_3892.JPG



Sebastian is looking over us. Don't have the crab.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_qUiaQU7fI/AAAAAAAAF4M/gxqX2iqdS_o/s800/100_3891.JPG


After eating we say goodbye to our wait staff. I really feel for these guys who work so hard and get paid so little. Can you imagine having to serve all those people 3+ meals a day, and just when they finally leave, an entire new group arrives act like the entire Disney ship was built just for them? No, I would not last long waiting on people on a cruise ship - espeically my wife.


We get in line to disembark the ship. Holy cow – is THAT the line? It was longer than the line for any of the characters. Now normally, we would have waited in that line because we would have thought that the rest of the ship is now off limits to us. I’m not sure where we got the notion that Disney wants you to leave right after breakfast, but that’s always what we have done, no matter how long the lines. But now we were thinking clearly and decided we did not really want to wait in line to leave the ship*.

*Legal disclaimer – If the ship is sinking, it is a good idea to disembark in an orderly fashion and follow all crowd control cattle fences that Disney will erect, and that will mean waiting in line. Unless you have a fastpass in which case you can enjoy other attractions such as the buffet and then enter the fastpass evacuation line at the designated time on your fastpass – but not a minute earlier.


Maybe they will let me stay if I play When You Wish Upon a Star every night.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_qUmB1tXiI/AAAAAAAAF4U/cmpSm_AK2d0/s800/100_3894.JPG


It felt a little odd going off on our own, and I was half expecting the elevators to only take us to the disembarkation deck. The other half (of my brain??) was expecting crew members to sound an alarm when they saw us and nicely ask us to get off the ship. But neither happened. We went up to Deck 9 and hung out by the pool. Playhouse Disney was playing on the Aerial view TV and the boys played foosball and ping pong. There was one other family lounging out by the pool and crew members who walked by only said “good morning”. I did not even get asked if I wanted a DOTD, which this morning is called the “Back To Reality Cocktail” which consists of whatever you have at home that will help you get over the depression that the cruise is OVER.


Trying to get every last bit of value from the cruise.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_qUmaqZAhI/AAAAAAAAF4Y/tz4PAwv06q4/s800/100_3896.JPG


It was nearing 10 am and we were finally starting to feel like maybe we should leave. I could not find a good place for us all to hide, no bars were open, there was no deck party, and my boys are too old for Playhouse Disney and we could not find the giant remote to change the channel. So we made our way back down to where we disembark and there was no line. They swipe our KTTW cards for the last time and we head to the warehouse where they keep the luggage. Another nice benefit to waiting till almost last to leave the ship was that there was hardly any luggage left, so finding ours was easy.

TIP: Remember your luggage tag color. Last cruise I could not remember if we were red or purple – it was blue and took us a while to find it.

Now that we had our luggage, we were accosted by unionized luggage handlers wanting to sell us the DOTD or carry our bags, assuming we’d tip them in 10s and 20s. DW is cheap, so we always, and I mean ALWAYS, carry our own luggage. Sometimes you can’t even see the kids because we’ve got so much baggage piled on them and it looks like the luggage is moving by itself.

Now that we have all our luggage, we wait in line for US Customs. The crack team of highly trained professionals were using all the tools at their disposal to keep drugs, nuclear weapons and bananas from illegally entering the US, including having Pluto sniff us. Hey watch it, there are no bananas THERE Pluto. In reality, all you do is hand the agent your customs form and passports. The keep the form and you are free to go. I wonder what they do with all those customs forms. Do you think there is some giant government warehouse where they file them? There must be billions of these forms. And what do they do with them? Mine all show the same thing, that I bought 2 bottles of rum.

TIP: If the US customs agent asks if you have any drugs or weapons, you should tell him “Meet me in the parking lot and we can make a deal”. You don’t want to conduct business there in the terminal and hold up the line.

Once out of the terminal, we walk to our car and take the sad 1 hr drive home. Driving to the port is much more enjoyable than leaving. At home the feeling that the vacation is really over sinks in when we start the first load of laundry and we have to make the kids something to eat rather than sending them to Pluto’s Doghouse.

The best cure for PCB “Post Cruise Blues” is to watch the episodes with Steve, (no wait, that’s Post Blues Clues Blues).... is to book another cruise - but not on Carnival.

Thanks for reading even if it did cause your productivity at work to plummet, and I hope at least one tip will prove valuable.

[Señor DonDuck]

I thoroughly enjoyed your trip report from beginning to end. All of your tips have been duly noted :thumbsup2

[lborne]

Here it is in all its amazing plastic glory. The Official Disney Cruise Line Drink Of The Day Plastic Glass or ODCLDOTDPG, filled with unofficial margarita. Its sort of feminine looking and at first I felt a little odd when carrying it, especially when they add the little cherry or fruit piece and umbrella. Its kind of like when my DW asks me to get her purse from the car. I've never figured out a masculine way to carry her purse except to run with it and look like I've just stolen it, but that means smashing the car window. But after 3 or 4 DOTDs, I did not really care what anyone thought. Plus DW told me to not let it out of my sight as it was like cash because of all the potential money it could save us and I fear her more than being called a sissy.


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_vOEN4qHhI/AAAAAAAAF5k/41wYDcOwbmo/s800/P5224529.JPG

[Normangirls]

Notice how the jokes are getting less and less funny the further I get into this TR? What do you mean they were never funny?

SO not true, dude. I'm sitting at work giggling like a teenage girl at a Jonas brothers concert. Funny, funny stuff.


Anyone know what it costs to have a live in butler? I mean butleress?

About the same as the cost for that nanny to take the kids when they stert whining.



I just found your TR, and its over. Could you please consider booking another cruise so you can write some more?

I really have enjoyed this -- thank you.

[Normangirls]

I wonder what they do with all those customs forms. Do you think there is some giant government warehouse where they file them? There must be billions of these forms. And what do they do with them?

They're in the warehouse with the lost Ark.

[lborne]

I just found your TR, and its over. Could you please consider booking another cruise so you can write some more?

I really have enjoyed this -- thank you.

You are welcome. Yes, I will book another cruise. Which of your credit cards would you like me to charge it to?

1 to 2 cruises a year is my DW's limit, and then they can't all be on Disney. She likes to take "regular" land based vacations too, and since she controls the money I have to agree or else stay home and take care of the kids while she travels without me.

I'd love to do a 4 night cruise on the Wonder, but that would mean taking the kids out of school most of the week.

I'm just starting to read your TR and am enjoying it.

[grace&philipsmom]

Your trip report is the best on I have read. We just booked our first cruise for November this year and I was looking forward to it. After reading your report I really can't wait! The mental picture of you running with a purse made me laugh out loud.

[lborne]

Your trip report is the best on I have read. We just booked our first cruise for November this year and I was looking forward to it. After reading your report I really can't wait! The mental picture of you running with a purse made me laugh out loud.

Our past 2 Disney cruises were in November and we had perfect weather. You are going to love it.

[lborne]

Navigators from the cruise.... This should complete the TR.

Day 1 (http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7cI_Qda7iqsNmQwODhmMzYtNDNhMy00M2QyL WE0NzMtYzQ3MDY2OTFjZjNl&hl=en)

Day 2 (http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7cI_Qda7iqsMTMwMGU3MzAtNjU1Yy00YWRlL Tk4YzMtNzgzNmMxYjU2NzIy&hl=en)

Day 3 (http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7cI_Qda7iqsODI0MTNjNzctYWY4OS00MWI3L ThiYjctOTg2MzZmNzhkOGI4&hl=en)

[acomasdiaz]

Great TR! Very fun to read. Now, I can't wait until my cruise in October.

[JenGC]

Navigators from the cruise.... This should complete the TR.

Day 1 (http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7cI_Qda7iqsNmQwODhmMzYtNDNhMy00M2QyL WE0NzMtYzQ3MDY2OTFjZjNl&hl=en)

Day 2 (http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7cI_Qda7iqsMTMwMGU3MzAtNjU1Yy00YWRlL Tk4YzMtNzgzNmMxYjU2NzIy&hl=en)

Day 3 (http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B7cI_Qda7iqsODI0MTNjNzctYWY4OS00MWI3L ThiYjctOTg2MzZmNzhkOGI4&hl=en)

Nice! I was thinking how not many people offer copies of their Navigator and there you have yours! Thanks!! Great report too. I feel for your wife. I am sure you drive her nuts! :rolleyes1

[Señor DonDuck]

Thanks for also posting the Navigators!

[lborne]

I feel for your wife. I am sure you drive her nuts! :rolleyes1

Its a very short drive, but I've taken her several times.

[huey578]

Do you have to make reservations for breakfast to eat at any of the restaurants or is it first come,first serve? Thanks

[ickletarakins]

We just got back from the 3-day that sailed a week after yours, but somewhere between this comment: "I guess even messengers of God need a vacation every now and then" & this one: "The real ship does not have half its side torn away, so don't worry, you won't sink - probably" you've hooked me! Can't wait to read the rest of your TR :cool1:

[lborne]

Do you have to make reservations for breakfast to eat at any of the restaurants or is it first come,first serve? Thanks

No reservations required. On the 3 Day Wonders, of the 3 main restaurants, only Tritons and Parrot Cay will be open for breakfast. PC is buffet style. Tritons is sit down and you order off the menu. There were plenty of tables open every time we went to Tritons and so I don't think you will ever have a wait. Most people go to BBB.

[lborne]

We just got back from the 3-day that sailed a week after yours, ...

So how was your trip? Hope we did not trash the Wonder too much for you.

Oh, just noticed your TR - guess I'll just it. I think we PM'd briefly before the cruise because you may have been thinking of going the week before on our cruise - or I thought maybe you were.

[strawberryblonde]

I wanted to take one of those sandy feet laying on the beach chair shots but this girl in a bikini got in the way and spoiled it.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_WTDd7KfYI/AAAAAAAAF3g/9YBUvf9NNm0/s800/P5154493.JPG




I enjoyed your TR so much, but this part killed me :lmao: !! Thanks for sharing :thumbsup2

[huey578]

No reservations required. On the 3 Day Wonders, of the 3 main restaurants, only Tritons and Parrot Cay will be open for breakfast. PC is buffet style. Tritons is sit down and you order off the menu. There were plenty of tables open every time we went to Tritons and so I don't think you will ever have a wait. Most people go to BBB.

Thanks for the info :thumbsup2

[ickletarakins]

So how was your trip? Hope we did not trash the Wonder too much for you.

Oh, just noticed your TR - guess I'll just it. I think we PM'd briefly before the cruise because you may have been thinking of going the week before on our cruise - or I thought maybe you were.

Yeah, we may have--we originally held the 5/13 date but our friends could only do 5/20. I'm glad we waited the extra week because my BF proposed at our special spot here at home on 5/15 :love:

But your TR is hilarious. Wish I could inject so much snark into mine!

[jamie&Greg]

Great TR!! I honestly think this is the first one I actually finished and didn’t just skip through the pictures!! :lovestruc

[ProudMommyof2]

Great TR! On your other cruises did you ever try an inside room?

[PizzieDuster]

Love, love, love your trip report! I love your humor - it's exactly like my husbands! :lovestruc

But I would go to the ends of the earth to keep you and my husband away from each other so as to not compare notes! :rotfl2::thumbsup2:rotfl::scared1:

i.e., I tell him, "Don't fight with me, it's very expensive when you do. I'll go book something and you won't be included! But you'll pay$$ for it!" ;)

[lborne]

Great TR! On your other cruises did you ever try an inside room?

Yes, back before kids. We were in inside rooms on an RCCL ship and our first Disney cruise on the Magic when it did 3 and 4 day cruises. Our sort of unwritten rule is if the cruise has sea days, then we will probably spend more time in the room than normal, and we want a window or better yet, a balcony. But if its a short cruise with no sea days, then an inside cabin is fine for us because we won't be spending much time there. Then again, the price difference was less than $100 total when we booked using the Florida resident rate, so we booked the window view.

[lborne]

Love, love, love your trip report! I love your humor - it's exactly like my husbands! :lovestruc;)

Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment - I think.


But I would go to the ends of the earth to keep you and my husband away from each other so as to not compare notes! :rotfl2::thumbsup2:rotfl::scared1:

That's too bad because I'm always looking for a sympathetic husband to have several beers with. Hmmm - that does not sound the way I meant it.


i.e., I tell him, "Don't fight with me, it's very expensive when you do. I'll go book something and you won't be included! But you'll pay$$ for it!"

LOL. You obviously need to watch more Leave it to Beaver.

[2crazegoofies]

Hilarious TR! Loved it! Been laughin out loud when I should really be asleep! Thanks for the Naviagators! And the tips! We will be goin on our 2nd Disney Cruise in October...3 night on the Wonder, of course!

[lborne]

Hilarious TR! Loved it! Been laughin out loud when I should really be asleep! Thanks for the Naviagators! And the tips! We will be goin on our 2nd Disney Cruise in October...3 night on the Wonder, of course!

The Navigators are great for planning, but don't count on them 100%. You probably want to keep checking for newer ones. I noticed a few minor differences from February ones I found on line from mine.

[jjk]

Brilliant Trip Report :goodvibes

[rosiep]

Better late than never.....

Here I sit at work, my first Disney Cruise months away.....thanks for coloring in my daydream.

[anna08]

Stayed up late to read your TR start to finish. DH kept giving me dirty looks for intermittently laughing out loud while he is trying to dictate operative report from earlier in the day. So glad I left the working world recently to become Mrs. Cleaver - I am now able to stay up late and watch the Daily Show and read TRs like yours to keep me sane. Please take more cruises.

Gotta run - vitamuffins in oven starting to burn. Ok, maybe I'm not quite Mrs. Cleaver but I'm a very fast buffet line person. ;)

[lborne]

Ok, maybe I'm not quite Mrs. Cleaver but I'm a very fast buffet line person. ;)

Thanks for reading and moving quickly in lines. What the heck are vitamuffins? Do you just throw in a few multivitamins into the batter?

[SoCal Susie]

Hands down one of the funniest friggin' TRs ever!

It is 5:29pm and I should have left at 5:00pm to pick my DS from preschool and I'm late because of you! Thanks! lol

I almost wish you and your family can go on the 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise a few weeks before our cruise (2/27/11) just to get another TR outta ya.

Kuddos and thanks.

[lborne]

Hands down one of the funniest friggin' TRs ever!

It is 5:29pm and I should have left at 5:00pm to pick my DS from preschool and I'm late because of you! Thanks! lol

I almost wish you and your family can go on the 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise a few weeks before our cruise (2/27/11) just to get another TR outta ya.

Kuddos and thanks.

Your DS will understand. Not sure about the teacher who has to wait around for late parents....

I wish we could go on the Mexican Rivera cruise too. Can we go with you?

Thanks for reading.

[derrickmom]

LOVE the report. I have been digging around for information on cruises. I want to book our first one soon. :thumbsup2 You have made me want to go even sooner.

[Wondermom1965]

Pre-TR

I loved reading all the trip reports in the months before our cruise so I will attempt to give back a bit by writing this TR, in which I will include several tips I either learned while on the ship or quickly made up if I can’t remember any.

Conspirators:

Me (41), D(D does not always mean Darling)W (41), DS11 and DS7.
Friends DH(42), DW (42), DS11, DD6.


This is our 4th Disney Cruise. We are only 1 hr south of Port Canaveral and got a great deal via the Florida Resident Rate, so the 3 night cruise, although short, was fairly inexpensive. When we told some friends of our plans, they booked the next day. I usually like going on cruises to meet new people, but it is also fun dining with our friends. Especially after the one cruise where we got stuck with a couple where the husband’s job was a prophet. He even had business cards made up and told everyone their future. I guess even messengers of God need a vacation every now and then.

To fill the months between when we book the cruise until when we actually get on board, I like to spend lots of time on the DIS doing research and asking inane questions that really don’t matter much, like "what does the drink of the day cost?" Really, I just do about anything to 1) think about the cruise and 2) make the time pass quickly until the date of departure is here.

So the night before our departure, we, (meaning DW), start to pack. She is the queen of procrastination, but also likes to pack twice as much as she really needs. She loves cruising from a port that we can drive to because it means she does not have to stay under the 50 lb airline weigh limit. I do tip the porters well because I know chiropractors are not cheap.

My main job is to plan the days activities - sort of. We like to have some sort of game plan for each day and that is where the old Navigators come in handy. However, we (again, meaning DW), like to remain flexible and change all my plans at a moments notice. The big decision on this cruise is to stay on board the Wonder while at Nassau. Every cruise before we’ve gotten off at Nassau. This time I think I’ve finally convinced DW that we can stay on the ship and be accosted by staff members selling "drinks of the day" instead of being accosted by locals wanting to braid our hair. However, she has mentioned maybe we could just pop over to a beach for a couple of hours. I’ve ignored this thinking that the idea may go away. I mean – here we live within a mile of the beach and hardly ever go.

TIP #1 – print out the old navigators. They make great bathroom reading material and you’ll get familiar with all that goes on. But, its kind of like riding a bike (or loving a woman), no matter how many guides you buy, or planning DVDs you watch, or threads you read on the DIS, you can never completley understand everything until you have taken it for a ride (the bike). So now on our 4th Disney cruise, we finally feel like we have a handle on how everything works.

UP NEXT - Day 1 and some free color photos.


:rotfl2: I can't wait to read more. If I didn't know better, I would say this is my husband in disguise! :teleport: Your wife and I have a lot in common, hope we can cruise together some year. :chat: We stay on the ship and wouldn't have it any other way.

[Wondermom1965]

As promised, in this installment of the TR, you'll get expert cruise tips and free color photos (at least 2 in every package). Lets start right off with a tip so I don't have to think about them any more.

TIP #2: This TR is best paired with a couple glasses of Merlot.

Thursday morning is finally here and the kids are wired. Despite having slept very little during the night because they are so excited, they are going bonkers. Luckily for us, my DW is sending them to school this morning. Talk about torture for the kids (not to mention their teachers), but DS11 did have a test he could not miss and we only live 1 hr from port. I stay at home and try to keep busy cleaning the house and finishing packing. Around 11:30 my DW and kids are back, we load up the luggage, and are off. Well, not quite - you people with kids know what happens next – someone has to go to the bathroom – but they did not have to wait long because I’m quick. :)

We are at the port by 12:45 after driving an hour with the hyper kids, and have to wait in line to pull up to the luggage drop off area. It does not feel like Disney unless you have to wait in a line. Drop off the wife, kids and luggage and finally get my first moment of peace and quiet to relax while I drive the 200 feet to park.

TIP #3: If you are going to drive to the port, I recommend getting there around 12:30 – 1:00 to avoid long lines. You miss the “nut cases” who want to be the first on the ship and you miss all the Disney busses coming from Orlando. Unless you've just been at the park and really need that "cattle" feeling.

By the time I’d walked back, my DW and kids were already upstairs in line for check in. The line for Castaway Club members was short and we quickly got checked in. Somehow I was given a KTTW card with someone else’s name. That was fixed and we met up with our friends and got in line to register the kids and get our pager. So far, everything has been quick and smooth. We could already have been on board, but we took our time and just chatted with our friends. Finally, I coax them to go aboard. As we stepped into the atrium, they announced our family name and we felt like movie stars (autographs at 3 on the lido deck).

The infamous model of the ship at the Disney terminal. The real ship does not have half its side torn away, so don't worry, you won't sink - probably.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FE_edwbDI/AAAAAAAAFuc/-UyhQvu5FNM/s800/P5134321.JPG


DS11 about to pass thru the big ears. Look at that line - NOT. (see tip #3)

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFANS0CoI/AAAAAAAAFug/pCNpwl1laTk/s800/P5134322.JPG


We had reservations at Palo for 8:30, but we really wanted 7:30, so I immediately went to Wavebands to change our reservation. There was no wait and they were able to give me a 7:30 dinner time. We wanted the earlier time because we were scheduled at Palo for the last night, and knowing how long Palo meals can take, I knew we’d never get the suitcases out in the hallway by 11:00.


After that, it was 1:30 and I knew our room would be ready and that is where I found DW and kids getting ready for the pool. We had room 2120 which is in the general area of the last 2 cruises we’d been on. It was close to the aft elevators, and many people worry about noise from the elevator lobby, but we never heard anyone there.


Mickey Ears not only notify others that you are a Disney freak and fellow DISr, but that you have no life too.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFBwyPzDI/AAAAAAAAFuo/qjuekO-eTjM/s800/P5134328.JPG


On our last cruise (HAL, not Disney), we had two rooms. One for the kids and one for us which were right next to each other. But the rooms on HAL are smaller and a lot cheaper. Ideally we would like to have booked a separate room for the kids – a room for them on the Wonder and a room for DW and I on the Magic would be ideal. But we were all stuck in one room. Seriously, it was fine. The nice thing about this room as opposed to some we’ve had on other cruises is that the main bed is in the middle and the kids are at the back, with a curtain divider. This way if we come back to the room later, or need to use the restroom in the middle of the night, I don’t have to go through the kids sleeping area. I asked the stateroom host (Johnny) for wine glasses and he said it had to come from room service. So I called room service and asked for wine glasses and they said that it would take about 30 minutes.


Darn, here it is almost 2:00 and I’ve yet to have a drink of the day. Instead I’m trying to apply sunscreen to two boys who are bobbing up and down because I’m in the way of the TV. They watch less than 1 hr of TV a week at our house, so they could stay in the cabin all day and night watching the Disney channel.


Finally, we are up on deck 9, hanging out by the Mickey pool while the kids go down the slide a jazzilion times. We get ourselves lunch at Goofy’s Gallery (panninis and wraps) and Pluto’s Dog House for the chicken tenders and fries. Before we can even sit down, we are hit up by a staff member for the DOTD. We are told that if we get it in this Official Disney Cruise Line DOTD Plastic Glass, then we can get more DOTD for only $3.95 and what a great deal it is because you get more in the Official Disney Cruise Line DOTD Plastic Glass. Yes, I realize “plastic glass” really makes no sense, but I don’t know what else to call it. Its not a cup and its not a mug, but it looks like glass. Have some more Merlot and it will become more clear. Anyway, the suckers that we are, bought one. Only one because DW is cheap and says we can share. The DOTD is good (anything more than 10 proof would be right now), but there are two big negatives to getting your DOTD in the ODCLDOTDPG. First, you’ve got to remember not to leave it on the table and keep it with you at all times lest you have a sudden urge for the DOTD and are without your money saving cup – I mean glass. However, walking around with your empty glass is like walking around Nassau with 100 dollar bills in your hand asking “Does anyone have anything to sell?” You’ll be accosted several times a minute by cheerful Disney staff wanting to refill your plastic glass for only $3.95 plus 15% gratuity, plus any additional amount you wish to give for their tenacity. Thing is, even without your empty glass, you’ll still be hit up to buy the DOTD if you are anywhere near the pool. The only real way to keep them at bay is to buy a DOTD and then not drink it, leaving your cup full all the time. But that’s no fun.

DS7 spent no time before we found him chillin with his new girlfriend in the hot tub.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFOBBFtPI/AAAAAAAAFvg/QYSNFEHGdOI/s800/P5144404.JPG

So now its around 3:00 and the Mickey pool is being closed because some kid had an accident. Obviously it was not #1 because the crew would not be able to tell, and if they could then the pools would never be open (including the adult pool). Once the pool closes, it can’t reopen for a minimum of 3 hours. So all the kids head over to the Goofy Pool, which was already pretty crowded. And all the good parents head over there too.

DW goes to the spa to book a massage for Friday and when she comes back I go to Guest Relations to book the beer tasting for my friend and I, also for Friday. DW spent a little bit more than I did. :) She booked some sort of special for $109 where she got 20 minutes of back & neck massage, 20 minutes of exfoliation, and 20 minutes of who the hell knows what else. She also bought the Rainforest day pass for both of us, for $15 each.



http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFDPj6KGI/AAAAAAAAFuw/t_8HhUpUPyU/s800/P5134332.JPG



DS7 in the Goofy hot tub now that the others were closed. Wait a minute - that's not the same girl.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFPDCjbsI/AAAAAAAAFvk/vil97SCd3R0/s800/P5144409.JPG


(OMG this TR is going to be a lot longer than I planned. You people are getting a TR designed for a 7 night cruise at the price of only a 3 night cruise.)

Dang, 3:30 and everything is shutting down. Can’t even get another snack or drink. So the next 30 minutes is spent watching the kids in the pool, nursing the last little bit of DOTD, and walking around on deck taking photos of what my DW terms “everything and everyone but our ***** family”. Why don’t you go and unpack the suitcases honey.

Anyway, its now 3:50 and we drag the kids down to the room to get ready for the lifeboat drill. We put on the life vests and leave the room not having any idea where we are supposed to go. We just follow the herd. Luckily, we are still docked because if this had been a real emergency, we would be found in the Bleach Blanket Buffet line waiting to be served instead of the lifeboat boarding line. Last time we cruised, our mustering station (Dijon) was in one of the dining rooms. This time we were right under the lifeboats. I’m still not sure which I would prefer in an emergency. Being first on the lifeboats, or getting one last meal in before the ship sank.

So we are all standing in rows with orange life jackets on and all the kids are blowing into the whistles. What’s funny is you can’t walk 5 feet without someone handing you a sanitizing wipe, but all these germ infested kids (yes, they are ALL germ infested no matter how much soap you use), are putting this plastic in their mouths that every other kid on every other cruise has slobbered on.

So after that fun filled activity, its back up on deck to do what we love doing on cruises – drink and eat. The kids are back in the water (Mickey pool is still closed), and we watch the sail away party. The weather is perfect. A little after 5 the ship starts to move away from the dock and soon we are going down the channel pretty quickly. About halfway down they sound the “when you wish upon a star” horns. I get goose bumps whenever I hear it. Once, DW and I were at Sandals in Nassau laying out by the pool and in the distance we heard that sound as the ship was either coming into or leaving port, and as amazing as being at Sandals without the kids was, it made me wish I were on the Disney cruise (still, without the kids).


We are the kind of people who like to be up on deck 10 looking down on the party instead of being trampled to death.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFEFRyvWI/AAAAAAAAFu0/dZJHpATSiG8/s800/P5134341.JPG



http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFEoUPF5I/AAAAAAAAFu4/JyUrH71P39U/s800/P5134346.JPG

Now that land was quickly trailing away, it was time to get ready for the show. We all headed back down to the room and I noticed there were no wine glasses. So I called again, and they apologized. I told them I really had wanted them before 6:00. They arrived about 10 minutes later. Two wine glasses, stems crossed over a serving platter. It was a wonderful presentation. I opened a bottle of wine that we had brought on board (14 Hands), poured two glasses and we left for the show – The Golden Mickeys. Our friends were already seated and we joined them. The show is fantastic, as are all of Disney shows. No other cruise line comes close, IMO.


[EDIT] After the show, we fed our kids. It was 7:15 - 7:30 and only the Pinocchios Pizza and Plutos Dog House were open. It was fine because they had food that the kids liked, but it would have been nice to have at least one line of BBB open. [END EDIT]

Then we and our friends checked the kids into the kids club.

The older sons (11 years old) were allowed to check themselves in and out with the stipulation that if they leave, they have to be together and page us. The 4 adults (me included) then headed to the Cadillac lounge to listen to music and talk.

About 10 after 8 we head back to our rooms and refill our wine glasses. Our friends also brought wine on board, except they are not classy and just used the regular water glasses provided in the room. I hope they don’t read this :).

Tonight we were at Tritons, as we had gotten the TAP rotation as we requested. (So far, no disappointments with anything). Our server was Boris and he had the table all set up for the kids already. It was super nice, but we were only having the kids dine with us tomorrow night as it was kind of late for them to be eating. I am so disappointed that I did not get photos of my food. Normally I always do, but with our friends as company, I completely forgot. For starters, I had the escargot and duck confit. The escargot was really good. Normally, when I get escargot they can be very small and too rubbery. These were large and so held more butter and garlic sauce (the real reason I eat escargot). The duck confit was also wonderful. I then had the tomato and basil soup (yummy) and the avocado and citrus salad. The salad was just OK - the citrus slices were canned and not fresh. (If I sound picky, you have not met my DW). For my main course I got the "Triton's" Seared Sea Bass with a Mushroom Herb Risotto, Sweet Onion Marmalade, and garnished with a Potato Crisp. I only ordered one main course because I knew I’d be getting some of DW’s Grilled Beef Tenderloin. They were both delicious. For dessert I got the Triton's Sweet Temptations - A Trio of Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Mousse and Praline Petite Choux and I also ordered the Grand Marnier Soufflé’. I don't remember what our friends got, but there were only empty plates after each course, so they must have liked it.


DW and I at Tritons.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFIflQJsI/AAAAAAAAFvI/9iIdCtWjmRo/s800/P5134375.JPG


After Tritons, we headed to Match Your Mate, which is like the old dating game. This game highly depends on the personality of the players. They get the couple that have been together the longest, one that are relatively newly wed, and then a couple in-between. There was a really funny couple from Dallas that made the show. I think many of the questions are used every time over the years.

It was now 11 and we got the kids from the club and put them to sleep. Checking DS7 in and out of the clubs seemed much easier than I remembered from the past cruises. I think the arm band, although a little bulky, made the process much quicker. Having the split bathrooms is one of the best things about Disney staterooms. We could have both kids brushing teeth at the same time and NOT fighting with each other over who is hogging the sink. It saved time and our sanity, if only for 3 nights.


Room all ready when we came back to sleep.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFFfkPgGI/AAAAAAAAFu8/CHK9IzmOnjw/s800/P5134361.JPG



One part of the split bathroom.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_GAg6mVmwI/AAAAAAAAFyY/039lq4K8H_8/s800/P5144427.JPG


And the other. Notice you can see the DOTD in the official "plastic glass" in the reflection.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_GAgJ89PPI/AAAAAAAAFyU/dVRFZZyrUGk/s800/P5144428.JPG


Back when we used film cameras, DW used to be a lot more annoyed when I took these kinds of photos.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFR5D8HkI/AAAAAAAAFv0/xLgREVOhFCI/s800/P5144432.JPG


Only products made in the USA are good enough to be flushed.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFGmLNkOI/AAAAAAAAFvE/VN_Plpq_dfY/s800/P5134372.JPG


DW also wanted to sleep but I was still awake so went back out. I wandered around on decks 10 and 9, then headed down to the Promenade lounge, then over to Wavebands, Diversions and the Cadillac Lounge. Other than about 15 people dancing to disco in Wavebands, I felt like I was on a ghost ship. By 12:00 I called it a night.

Here are some of those random shots I took and one last additional tip at no extra cost.


Tip #4 (or 5 - I'm too lazy to go back and check) Blue anchor is toward the Back of the ship. Red towards the Rear. No wait, that's wrong. Red towards the front. Yeah - that's it. Don't even ask about port and starboard.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_GAfV4sjPI/AAAAAAAAFyQ/Dq_FqMHdWuA/s800/P5134380.JPG



People (who are not my family) boarding.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFCt9uOdI/AAAAAAAAFus/rWuq3r6juZU/s800/P5134330.JPG



Not much going on at 11:50 at night. Waiting until midnight and watching the hot tub drain on these people was pretty much the only opportunity for entertainment at this hour.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_FFJk90ODI/AAAAAAAAFvM/anXCIs4j8LI/s800/P5134377.JPG


Come back tomorrow when I post another exciting adventure to my TR with the not so catchy title.

Wow, you got me beat, I too take a lot of pictures, because I scrapbook, but my DD said, Mommy, you didn't take a picture of our toilet! :worship:

[Wondermom1965]

Thanks again all. Its nice to get positive feedback. I normally keep a diary of my life, not every day, but at least a few events a week. So this TR will be a nice addition to my diary for our trip.

The DIS boards are great. How did people survive without the internet?

You should do standup! Much talent and I didn't have to spend a fortune or buy the drink minimum. Good deal!:worship:

[lborne]

Wow, you got me beat, I too take a lot of pictures, because I scrapbook, but my DD said, Mommy, you didn't take a picture of our toilet! :worship:

LOL. Feel free to use my photo for your scrapbook as all the toilets look alike.

[lborne]

[QUOTE=Wondermom1965;37406951 Your wife and I have a lot in common, hope we can cruise together some year. :chat: We stay on the ship and wouldn't have it any other way.[/QUOTE]

We've been on 3 Disney cruises with the same couple by coincidence. We remembered each other on the Dis Cruise Meets board.

If they offer some good Florida Resident rates next year on the new ship, we'll seriously consider going again. May was a good month.

It was really difficult for my wife to stay on the ship. If she did not have the spa massage booked, I'm sure we would have had to at least go to the straw market.

[smartkim]

We are planning our first cruise and I have been reading so many TR's but yours is by far, hands down, the best yet! It looks like you all had so much fun! I can't wait - 4 months to go!!

[Wondermom1965]

Thanks, will do! :cool1:

LOL. Feel free to use my photo for your scrapbook as all the toilets look alike.

[yourMaire83]

Secret aft sun deck - no one was there.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ChQFSEeYBy4/S_LxQMjaCVI/AAAAAAAAFzc/3fBZDHxSbLo/s800/P5144419.JPG

What deck is this on? I have requested Aft Deck 7, hoping to be near this secret sun deck....

[lborne]

What deck is this on? I have requested Aft Deck 7, hoping to be near this secret sun deck....

It is on Deck 7, but anyone from any deck can use it. Hope you have a great trip.

[CrusinGal]

WOW!!! Loved every word you wrote!
Going on my first crusie in less than sixty days.
Reading your travels made me even more excited!!!
Thanks for putting all the effort into sharing your trip!

[cruisecrasher]

Great fun reading this over the last couple evening. Really lovely conversational writing style. And furthermore, let me daydream about my first cruise coming up.

[pamcarey]

Hilarious TR! I loved it! I leave on my first Disney cruise in 2 1/2 weeks... a 5 night on the Wonder... so I really loved seeing your pictures and reading your tips. I'm all over the ODCLDOTDPG!

[lborne]

Great fun reading this over the last couple evening. Really lovely conversational writing style. And furthermore, let me daydream about my first cruise coming up.

Thank you - and to everyone else that replied positively. Have a great cruise - its really really hard not to.

... I'm all over the ODCLDOTDPG!

Make sure to ask for it by name. Its pronounced oh-duh-klu-duh-aht-duh-pug. "Souvenier glass" just does not have the same ring.

[WDisneyMom]

I don't know if I should be upset with you or not....this is the first Cruise TR I have read and now every other one must live up to your awesomeness! Hilarious, informative, witty....waiting for your next Cruise! :cool1:

[lborne]

I don't know if I should be upset with you or not....this is the first ..... and now every other one must live up to your awesomeness!

I get that a lot from ex girlfriends. :)

[rosiep]

I get that a lot from ex girlfriends. :)

:lmao::lmao:

YOU'RE A HOOT!!

[WDisneyMom]

I get that a lot from ex girlfriends. :)

Nice editing! :lmao:

[DisneyCruiser83]

Best trip report ever. Hands down. Aside from your outlandish remarks about me and my fellow Gators. It's okay, I know it is just to mask your jealousy. :lmao:

[lborne]

Best trip report ever. Hands down. Aside from your outlandish remarks about me and my fellow Gators. It's okay, I know it is just to mask your jealousy. :lmao:

I'm actually amazed I have not gotten any death threats from Gator fans. Not even any nasty emails. Guess you guys can take a joke after all, but then again, that was obvious with Tebow in there.

Seriously, I have tons of respect for the Gators and if they are not playing LSU, I'm one of their biggest fans.

[ScottishMummyof2]

Stayed up very late reading your TR!! I'm a bit bleary eyed this morning but I got lots of laughs - and more important fab tips for our trip on Wonder in 9 weeks :cool1: Thanks for a great read......

[Dizney73]

I saw that you said you took a bottle of wine and some coconut rum on board...how did you pack it??? Was it just in your carry on? And Disney really doesn't care???? Maybe I can just borrow your ODCLDOTDPG... I can pay you $3.95!:rotfl2:

[lborne]

I saw that you said you took a bottle of wine and some coconut rum on board...how did you pack it??? Was it just in your carry on? And Disney really doesn't care???? Maybe I can just borrow your ODCLDOTDPG... I can pay you $3.95!:rotfl2:

I'll never part with that ODCLDOTDPG. We've been through a lot together. I walk around the house with it hoping that one day a Disney Cruise Cast Member is going to pop out of the closet and offer to refill it. Plus, they are great out by the pool being plastic and all.

I filled a plastic water bottle with the rum, and we wrapped the bottles of wine in T-shirts and it all went into a carry on. Disney does not care if you bring alchohol on board. There are lots of posts about this if you want more information, but basically, if you can carry it on, you can bring it. They don't like it in your checked bags as it could break and stain other suitcases. Our friends brought their wine in a box. You can now get decent table wines in boxes at Sams Club and Target. Its not your father's boxed wine - its actually not too bad. Anyway, the small box is 2 bottles and they removed the plastic bag from the box so that it could conform to the shape of their carry on. No glass to break, but don't put any sharp objects near it.

[nsiordia]

Thanks for the laughs!

:rotfl:

[Blueyed Girl]

Loved the TR!! I was laughing out loud for most of it. :rotfl2:

We did our first cruise (DCL) in June 2009. It was a 4 night on the Wonder. Was GREAT!! I had a collection of ODCLDOTDPG's. I kept saying I would bring it with me when I'd leave the room but never did. In the end I tried packing them to bring home but DH wouldn't let me. :rolleyes: So I have no ODCLDOTDPG here at home. BOO! Next time I'm not asking. :thumbsup2 We cruise again June 2011 for a 5 night on the Dream. Can't wait!!

[MagicMe]

In anticipation of my upcoming Disney cruise I started to read some trip reports (reading trip reports can be depressing if you don't have something in the works).

I generally like to read them to get me in the mood and ramp up the excitement (like I really need to :rolleyes1). Most are fun cause you get to see pictures or something they say sparks memories.

So it was great fun reading your trip report with all the laughs! (and yes, most of the jokes were funny - if not cute ;)) Thanks for giving me a great time reading your trip report!! :lmao:

[kimistry6]

I really loved this TR. The humor mixed in really made it great to read. The pics were great too!

[Tinkerkell123]

Thanks for an awesome TR!! You are hilarious and completely derailed my work-day today... Oh, well, it was WAY more fun taking that trip with you! You have to do another TR soon!!! :worship:

[Lokkabear]

Thanks for an awesome TR!! You are hilarious and completely derailed my work-day today... Oh, well, it was WAY more fun taking that trip with you! You have to do another TR soon!!! :worship:

Thanks to Tinkerbell123, making dinner, some random chores and my book reading for tonight was thrown offtrack! She sent me the link to your TR and I spent the entire evening reading it, laughing and wondering if the writer of this TR and I are somehow related! However my husband has informed me that being a smart @$$ is not entirely hereditary(even though my oldest{20} would disagree). I truely enjoyed the sarcasm/jokes and even the woman bashing...lol. It was a teriffic read! I look forward to your next TR. Actually, since I was reading your TR, DH was kind enough to make dinner for the family! See! A man who knows his place!(JK) Have a great day and I look forward to your next TR!!!

PS: Thanks for the tips!

[lborne]

Thanks to Tinkerbell123, making dinner, some random chores and my book reading for tonight was thrown offtrack! She sent me the link to your TR and I spent the entire evening reading it, laughing and wondering if the writer of this TR and I are somehow related! However my husband has informed me that being a smart @$$ is not entirely hereditary(even though my oldest{20} would disagree). I truely enjoyed the sarcasm/jokes and even the woman bashing...lol. It was a teriffic read! I look forward to your next TR. Actually, since I was reading your TR, DH was kind enough to make dinner for the family! See! A man who knows his place!(JK) Have a great day and I look forward to your next TR!!!

PS: Thanks for the tips!

Unfortunately, I think my next cruise is going to be a New Years cruise on HAL. Prices and ports are just too good to pass up.

[anna08]

I think all of your followers wouldn't mind you posting a TR of your HAL cruise on this board. Yes, we are pathetic in our need of a few free laughs!

[lborne]

Thanks for the support, but it looks like the HAL cruise is out. The kids wanted to see snow, so we are going to head up north on some kind of land trip over the new years holiday.

Maybe next year when I have Disney annual passes I'll write a report of one of my trips. Lots of good material at the world.

[Silverfox97]

Your TR was hilarious - inspired me to write my own, actually. My pics are more food porn-y, though :rotfl: Thanks for the tip about picking up wine glasses from the bartenders - I was glad not to drink wine out of the on the rocks glasses from the stateroom......that would be a college memory I wouldn't want to re-live......(Who are we kidding? I drank Franzia, Wild Vines, and Arbor Mist out of plastic cups in college!) Thanks again for the tip - we even took our own glasses of wine into Palo!

[lborne]

You had me at food-porn. I'm heading over to your TR now to read it.

[dr&momto2boys]

Hilarious TR! Thank you!

[yashasvi]

We've been on 3 Disney cruises with the same couple by coincidence. We remembered each other on the Dis Cruise Meets board.

If they offer some good Florida Resident rates next year on the new ship, we'll seriously consider going again. May was a good month.

It was really difficult for my wife to stay on the ship. If she did not have the spa massage booked, I'm sure we would have had to at least go to the straw market.

Loved your trip report. How much in advance do they normally release the resident rates?

- Y's Dad

[JOANNEL]

Unfortunately, I think my next cruise is going to be a New Years cruise on HAL. Prices and ports are just too good to pass up.

We did an New Years on HAL last year!! We had a great time and the price was less than half of DCL. The Ryndam was a little smaller, no castaway. But it was a lot of fun. The food was better then DCL and the waflles though not mickey shapped were delicious!!!

[lborne]

Loved your trip report. How much in advance do they normally release the resident rates?

- Y's Dad

The two times we've gotten the FL resident rate, it came out about 2 months before the cruise. Once we paid full price and the deal came out after, but our TA was watching and rebooked for us and we got a rebate.

[Shell54]

Just finished your TR..too funny. Your writing is great!

[KayMouse]

Great TR! :thumbsup2 I was laughing from start to finish. You made me want to make a TR!

[missj1975]

Great trip report. Getting ready for my first Disney cruise in December.